Death and Destiny
by FatallyYours-xdx
Summary: Leah returns to La Push to be a teacher at the local school. She comes face to face with her painful past. Will she stay? Will she allow herself to love again? Or will she revert to being a miserable witch with a capital B and run? M for later chapter
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Not Stephanie Meyer**

**A/N: So this is my first attempt at writing. Let me know what you think, I'd really appreaciate some constructive feed back. **

**PS - Leah has not and will not phase as far as I know right now and the packs have not split.****Leah POV**

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It's been several years since I've been home. I've avoided the place for as long as I could and I'm not sure I can even call it home anymore. I moved to Seattle after everything fell apart. First, there was a whole situation with Sam and Emily. Sam disappeared for weeks and when he returned to me, he was different. There was a distance in his eyes that I could not understand.

Shortly after my cousin Emily came up to visit me because I was lonely and needed someone to talk to. Sam was being distant and strange. I desperately hoped that the whole thing was in my head and that Emily would help me though it but that's not exactly what ended up happening. Sam left me…. for EMILY! And to make things worse, she was all for it and started dating him!!

After that, I retracted myself from the outside world. There were no words that could have described the vile betrayal I suffered at the hands of Sam and Emily. I descended in a downward spiral into a place of darkness. Bitterness coursed my veins like poison, infecting every cell of my being. I wallowed in my resentment and turn on those who still cared about me. The only thing that kept me from falling apart completely was my family. Even though my father continued to show approval for Sam, he was there for me every time I cried. My family was my light of Eärendil, the only thing that kept me out of complete darkness. Seth was a little ball of sunshine and always did his best to try to make me smile. He even offered to beat up Sam for me and the thought of Sam getting knocked out by a little kid was amusing enough for a faint smile to cross my face on occasion.

Just when I was beginning to develop some shred of hope for the future, my life was rocked by more tragedy. One night I decided to go out with a friend to Port Angeles after months of mourning. Upon my return I found my house deserted with a note on the kitchen table "_Honey, We're at the hospital with dad. Please come as soon as you read this. – Mom_". I practically collapsed to the floor where I stood because just the small idea of losing my dad was terrifying. I ran to the shed, pulled out dad's old bike and raced to the hospital like hell on wheels. My dad was in a coma after suffering a heart attack, but he didn't make it though the night. I lost so much more then just my father that night. I lost my dad, my friend, my source of warm hugs.

The final straw was when my little Seth began to follow Sam. I'm not sure what it was, weather it was because he thought Sam was cool or because he was desperate for male approval after the loss of his father, but Seth changed. He was out for hours on end, till early morning sometimes, mom allowed it and there was nothing I could say that would change her mind. Everything I held most dear was taken away in some way. My loneliness and desperation grew to almost uncontrollable heights and I knew I couldn't stay in La Push any longer. I was a ticking time bomb.

I applied to college in Seattle and moved as soon as I was accepted. That's where I have been for the last fee years. I worked on expelling my demons and even managed to maintain a relationship in the last two years. I kept regular contact with my mom because I knew that it was what dad would have wanted, but I wouldn't talk to Seth, no matter how much it pained me or how much he begged. He continued to follow Sam.

I earned my teaching license and needed a permanent position at a school, but Seattle had an oversupply of recent grads just like me. So when my mom informed me of the teaching position available at the school on the reservation I jumped at the chance and applied. I got the job. That's why I'm on my way back, following the lines on the highway back to a place of my youth, a place where I experienced true joy and true pain.

My stomach turned as I rounded the corner to the border of the reservation. The only thing I could hope for is that I am strong enough to return and face the things that caused me so much pain in the first place. I turned up the music as I passed the border and let the lyrics of the song dispel my anxiety.

…_Life for you has been less than kind  
So take a number stand in line  
We've all been sorry we've all been hurt  
But how we survive is what makes us who we are…_

**Seth POV**

Everything came crashing down all at the same time. First Sam and Leah broke up, then I phased into a werewolf, my father passed after suffering a heart attack and my big sister left La Push.

I was so angry with Sam for breaking Leah's heart, I still am, but after being in his head, I understand how strong his feeling are for Emily. I also felt the ever present guilt that he carries for hurting Leah, which makes it a little easier to be around him. In all honesty Sam has been very good to me, like a big brother or something.

My new secret life tore into the fabric of my relationship with Leah, until we were hanging on by a thread. I couldn't explain to Leah why I was hanging around Sam or why I was coming home in the middle of the night. We use to share everything but this was something I was not _allowed_ to tell her. It seemed that she was reverting back to a place of bitterness and one day she announced that she was leaving. Sam and I both felt the pain when Leah left, I more then him, but it was something that we both shared in silence and it helped me cope with her absence.

Since then Leah wouldn't speak to me, she ignored my calls, emails and letters. But today I get a second chance! Leah is coming home!!!!! She can't avoid me forever. Sooner or later she has to talk to me, then I'll make her forgive me and everything will be as it was.

The phone rang and broke my silent contemplation.

"Hello?"

"Hey Seth, is she home yet?"

"No Sam, she's not, but don't you _dare_ come over today!!" I warned uncharacteristically.

"Seth, I need to see her, I need to apologize" Sam said, almost begging.

"No way! Give her some time to settle in and get use to the idea of being back before you bombard her with apologies" I heard a car pull up. "Look Sam, I have to go, but remember what I said, give her some time." All I heard was a click on the other end of the line.

My mom rushed out the door and started squealing like a peppy cheerleader. I guess Leah just arrived. I felt excited and anxious all at the same time as I approached the front door.

"Seth! Get out here and help Leah with her bags!" mom yelled as I walked out on to the porch. Leah took one look at me and then averted her eyes. I walked down the driveway to her and took the bag from her hand. She looked at me again and was about to say something but I crushed her in a hug, her words coming out only as a muffled sound. It was then that I noticed how much I grew. She was so small and so much shorter then I remember.

She tapped me on my shoulder.

"Air!" she choked out.

"Oh yah, sorry" I said smiling, "Welcome back sis!" She managed a smile, but then she looked passed my shoulder and her smile turn into a scowl. I turned around, following her glare of daggers to see Sam standing by the road. He gave a small wave as he began to approach and Leah stiffened. I cut him off before he got any closer, his tall frame towering over me as I glare up.

"What the crap _Sam_?! I thought I told you to stay _away_."

"I couldn't, at the very least I needed to see her"

"Well you saw her, now go, and don't ruin this for me". He looked at me with begging eyes but I didn't falter. With a deep sigh he turned around and ran into the woods.

I ran back smiling.

"Don't worry sis, he wont be back" but her mood was already ruined.

"I guess things haven't changed much around here" she replied as she walked up the drive way with her bags in hand.

_You can do this Seth, __but give her a moment to breath, she just got back_ , I told myself as I grabbed the rest of her bags and made my way to the house. This is going to work, Leah will be happy here and I'll get my big sister back!

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**Next chapter:**

"Don't you have a home?!" I fumed as he smirked at me.

"I like your home better, and your fridge has a lot more food then mine does. That pasta was especially good."

"WHAT!?" I charged to the kitchen and threw open the fridge door, but my lunch wasn't there. "You ate my lunch you jerk!"

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**Thanks for reading. Please review**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Not Stephanie Meyer**

A/N: So this chapter is going to be all Leah. Next chapter I'll work on some other POVs. Hope you like it.

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**Leah POV**

There were a few curious onlookers that _literally_ stared as I drove down the small street to the house. It may have been that my return has been the hot topic of conversation amongst the tribe's gossip queens _or_ it may be because my car sounds like a lawn mower and people were in awe that it still runs.

I noticed that not much has change, except that the house looked like it needed some repairs. _Dammit Seth that's your job now_, I thought with a sigh as I remember that my dad was gone. There were moments, when I was back in Seattle, that I almost convinced myself he was still alive and that everything was just a really bad dream. But reality always grabbed hold of those wishful thoughts and smashed them in to a bloody mess.

I pulled up to the house and my mom came running out the front door even before I got out of the car. She bounced down the drive way with a gleeful smile and outstretched arms. I have to admit I missed her more then anything. She enveloped me in a hug and her warmth radiated through her embrace melting my defences. This is what I missed the most when I was in Seattle.

"Oh my dear Leah, I'm so glad you're home! Let me have a look at you." She released me from the hug and cupped my face with her hands, brushing the hair out of my eyes and I smiled.

"Such a pretty face," she beamed with joy "and you have your father's eyes."

We heard the porch creak and both turned towards the house. _Holy Shit!_ It was Seth and he was huge. It's like he grew twice his size. I remember him as a pre-pubescent little brat and now his shoulders squarely fit 2/3 the width of the front doors.

"Seth! Get out here and help Leah with her bags!" mom yelled and he made his way down the stairs with heist. He closed in on me and before I could say a word he crushed me in a hug. I don't think he knows his own strength because he almost choked me to death.

"Air!" I managed to say with my final last breath.

He realized what he was doing and promptly released me from his grip. I still wasn't too happy with him; nevertheless I managed a smile to keep things light. But as luck would have it, my small shred of happiness disappeared at the sight of Sam approaching. I stiffened, and my first instinct was to run back to the car and peel out of the driveway with out a moment to lose but my mom grabbed hold of my hand, and it held me in place. It's been years and still the very sight of him brings forth a flood of emotions. I hated him; this feeling resonated from the very center of my being. I wanted to break his face with one clean punch, to inflict some kind of pain that would match a minuscule portion of the pain that I felt when he ripped my heart to pieces. At the same time I loved him still. Even from far away, seeing his faint smile, my heart ached for him like it did the day he left me. _I'm so messed up!_

Thankfully Seth got rid of him. I guess they're still friends, which is going to make this a lot more difficult.

Seth helped me bring everything up to my room. The room looked exactly as I had left it. The thought that my mom always believed that I would come home again made me smile. I felt good to know that she always wanted me to return. I settled in, unpacking all my clothes and smiled as I pulled out a framed photo of my friends from Seattle. I'm definitely going to miss those girls, because without them I would have wallowed in self-pity until depression took over.

I didn't even realize I was hungry until I smelled food as I made my way back down to the kitchen.

"Oh honey, you're just in time for dinner" my mom announced and began to serve the meal.

"So are you excited about your new job?" she asked expectantly.

"Excited and nervous,… I haven't had my own class before." In all honesty I was terrified. I would be fully responsible for the development of over a dozen young minds. _What if I screw one of them up?_

"Well Joyce, the principal, will be there to help you with everything. She's such a nice lady, I'm sure you'll get along well" mom said.

"I'm sure it will all go as planned" or at least I hoped it would. I did speak to Joyce several times. Her jolliness radiated through her voice, even over the phone. Maybe all that joy will rub off on me a little.

The food was awesome. I missed my mom's cooking and she smiled proudly as I asked for seconds. It's a good thing I finished the first helping in record timing because Seth was already on his third when I was done. I stared in awe watching him eat. It's as if he inhaling the food with out chewing. That explains how he grew so big. Seth paused and shot me a grin.

After dinner I cleaned up as mom got ready to go out.

"Ok kids, I'm going over to play card with the girls. I won't be home late. Be good and don't fight." She sighed "Aww, I missed this!" Seth and I looked at her and laughed.

"No worries mom, we'll behave." I kissed her on the cheek and locked the door behind her.

"Hey Leah, can we talk?" Seth asked right away.

"Umm… not tonight Seth. I'm tired from the drive so I'm going to go to sleep." I'll try to avoid that talk for as long as I can. I'm not ready to talk to Sam's new bff.

"Oh ok. Another time then…" he replied disappointedly and I almost gave in when I saw the sad look on his face, but in the end I held true.

I was on my way upstairs and the house phone rang as I was passing by it.

"Hello?......" silence. "Helllllooo?.." I said again, this time with a slight tone of frustration in my voice.

"Lee-Lee?"

_Oh HELLL NO!_ A stream of profanities flooded my brain begging to be released. Seth was beside me in an instant. I tossed him the phone, too enraged to speak. I how _dare_ he! Since when is it alright for him to call? To address me by that nickname? This guy was either dense or had a death wish!!

"What the crap Sam?" Seth said angrily "Don't call back. If she wants to talk to you she'll call you! But don't count on it being anytime soon."

I heard the phone slam and heavy footsteps up the stairs and in the hallway leading up to my room.

"Leah, are you okay?" Seth said through the door.

"Please leave me alone Seth." I said weakly. All anger left my body as quickly as it took me over, and left me drain of my energy. Seth sighed deeply and made his way back down stairs. I fell on to the bed and let a tear descend down my cheek as my mind wondered through my past memories. It was too much for one day and I pushed aside my thoughts and let sleep take over.

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I woke up the sounds of yelling coming from the living room. I looked at the clock, it was only 11:35pm. I've been asleep for less then 3 hours…_Seth!!_ A light growl escaped my lips and I charged downstairs.

"What the _hell_ is going on here!?" I yelled and the room fell silent.

I took that moment to survey the culprits…. Seth,…. Quil Ateara? Embry Call?? Jacob Black ?? ?_What the hell?_ Is every guy on this reservation on steroids? Quil and Jacob shared a couch, generally reserved for three, and filled it with ease, while Seth and Embry had the floor in front. And they were all shirtless. Each of them sculpted with lean muscles that easily rivalled the UFC fighters they were watching on T.V. I had to make sure not to gawk and composed myself.

"Well?" placing my hands on my hips. Jacob whistled and Seth promptly threw his pillow at him.

"Cut it out dude!" Seth hissed at Jacob.

"Hey there Clearwater" Jacob said with a wink and I rolled my eyes.

"Keep it down okay? I'm trying to sleep"

"Sorry sis" Seth replied as I turned to make my way to the stairs.

"God! What a princess" Embry said under his breath. "Keep it down okay?" He said in a mocking voice and they snickered quietly. I turned on my heal.

"Do you have something to share with the rest of the class?" oh god, _did I just say that?_ I guess I was really meant to be a teacher.

"Well now that you mention it, yah! Listen princess just because you waltzed your way back into town doesn't mean you can boss us around. Thing aren't the way they were when you first left. So get use to it." He smiled proudly. "We're bigger then you now."

"Now see here. You may be bigger but I'm higher in the food chain, so calm yourself, and keep it down. If you don't like it then leave."

"Oooooo, she told you" Quil and Jacob said in unison and laughed. Embarrassed, Embry launched himself at Jacob, barrelling into him and taking him down to the floor. I watched for another moment as this juvenile test of dominance continued and admired the lean muscles of Embry's shoulders as he struggled to keep Jacob down. Damn, when did these two get this hot? Seth, gave me an apologetic look and I made my way back upstairs.

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The noise from Seth's shower woke me up the next morning. I slept surprisingly well last night and it was already passed noon. That's rare, Inever sleep that well. Maybe living back here will _actually_ be good for me? I got dressed and made my way downstairs.

Mom was out again and she left me a list of chores to do. I guess I should contribute to the household now that I'm living here. I made a mental note to talk to Seth about the repairs that the house will need and I got started with the cooking. I made pasta for dinner and some extra for tomorrow's lunch. Next on the list was the downstairs bathroom.

I switched into some old shorts and t-shirt, put on my ipod and went to work. Music always helps the time pass by and _'Goldfinger give cleaning a whole new meaning'_. I laughed at the motto my old roommates came up with based on the Swiffer commercial. We use to blast Goldfinger and dance around the apartment during our cleaning sessions. It's the only way I could clean now, so I pressed play and got to work.

I don't how long I was at it but I needed a break in the middle of signing 'Counting the Days'.

"_Day one, was no fun.  
Day two, i hated you.  
By day three I wish you'd come right back to me.  
Day four, five and six, well I guess you just don't give a shit.  
Day seven, this is hell. this is hell.  
I gotta get away, and find something to do.  
But everything I hear, everything I see, reminds me of you.  
Still counting the days I've been without you 1, 2, 3, 4...  
Still counting the days that you've been gone.__ "_

Signing out loud, I danced into the hallway towards the kitchen and something caught my eye as I passed by the living room. It was _Embry_, sitting on the couch laughing hysterically. I didn't even hear him come in. I stopped and pulled the headphones out of my ears.

"What are you laughing at?" I said, frustrated and embarrassed. He calmed down.

"I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you, you're just not laughing" he burst into laughter again. "Nice moves by the way, 'Dancing Queen'." I was not amused.

"Don't you have a home?!" I fumed as he smirked at me.

"I like your home better, and your fridge has a lot more food then mine does. That pasta was especially good."

"WHAT!?" I charged to the kitchen and threw open the fridge door, but my lunch wasn't there. "You ate my lunch you jerk!"

"Oh, was that you're lunch? I'm sooo sorry." He said without remorse.

"GET OUT!!!" I yelled as Seth ran downstairs.

"What's going on?" He looked confused.

"Seth, get him out of her before I hurt him" and Embry laughed, which only infuriated me further.

"Calm down princess, I'm leaving, it was nice seeing you again" he said with that stupid smirk plastered across his face and he walked out the door.

"I'm sorry sis" Seth said as he turned to me.

"Seth, I swear on my life, if you don't keep your friends in check, I will take them out one by one." I threatened, which obviously was an empty threat because anyone of them could take me on since they were all twice my size. _Minor details…_

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**Next Chapter:**

Leah Clearwater has been a pain in my ass for many years. Just because she was beautiful she thought she could order us around, like she did with Sam when they were together. Today I realized I love pissing her off, her nose crinkles in the cutest way. Even when she was fuming she looked as harmless as a bunny. This is my new favorite pastime.

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**A/N:** So thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed that. Please let me know what you think. I'm new at this whole writing thing so I would love to hear what you thought about the chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

******Disclaimer: Not Stephanie Meyer**

**A/N: **Thank you o0FLAM3S0o, LoveIt123, tdfireproof, sparechange1224, hgmsnoppy, and hilja for being awesome and leaving me reviews for the last chapter!! I hope you like this new chapter.

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**Embry POV**

When we were younger, Leah always poked fun at the fact that I didn't have a dad. It stung more then a little every time she pointed it out. But I developed a mentality that 'no dad is better then a crappy dad', plus my mom was awesome so that made up for it.

As I got older I started gaining an interest in girl and Leah was undeniably one of the most attractive girls in school. Seth was always a cool kid but I think that Leah was the reason why Seth had so many friends as we got older. All the guys wanted to go to his house after school just so that they could see Leah. Leah was beautiful, but the problem was that she knew it. I'm not saying that she was conceited but she was definitely confident and knew exactly what kind of effect she had on all the boys.

Naturally, like every other guy in my school, I had a crush on her but had no intentions of divulging that information to her. Only Jacob and Quil knew. I had the 'admire from afar' type of approach to adoration. But the guys' constantly badgered me to ask Leah out even though they knew I didn't stand a chance. After months of harassment from my friends, I built up just enough courage to make an attempt at it.

We were at a bonfire. It was a perfectly clear night and the moon was nearly full. I figured the likely rejection wouldn't hurt so badly if it was in the dark. I picked her out of the crowd; her dark hair glistened in the moonlight even from where I stood. I moved my way through the crowd towards her, my stomach turning with self-induced nausea in an anticipation of what I was about to do. I finally broke out of the crowd where I saw her last but I was not prepared for what I saw. Sam Uley had his tongue so far down her throat that I'm surprised she didn't gag.

That was the night Sam and Leah got together. The two of them quickly became the most nauseating couple in La Push. Always hugging, kissing, holding hands, it was hard to watch. The once proud Sam Uley turned in to a lap dog overnight.

No one ever suspected him to leave her, but I remember when it happened. She _actually _showed up to school and she was unrecognizable. Her eyes were puffy, her hair was a mess and she was wearing sweatpants! Leah _never_ wore sweatpants to school!! She looked so broken. I felt bad for her for a moment, until I realized what the break-up did for her personality. She became the bitterest person. Leah was still beautiful on the outside, but inside she was dark and acidic. I became her punching bag as she never hesitated to make snide comment in my directions.

Her departure after graduation was actually a blessing to everyone in the pack. We were free to hang around Seth without someone cutting into us for being associated with Sam. Since then I did alright for myself. Jacob and I started our own car repair shop and life was quiet.

When I heard that Leah was coming back to La Push I had a very uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. She is still beautiful but she's damaged, quick to anger and with no sense of humour what so ever. I've changed since high school. I'm definitely more assertive and that's where our new personalities clash. I have no reservations about being more forward with her. Actually, I quite enjoyed her snippy attitude. It's refreshing. Most girls I meet now are overly nice, especially when they hear that I co-own a business.

Leah Clearwater has been a pain in my ass for many years. Just because she was attractive she thought she could order us around, like she did with Sam when they were together. Today I realized I love pissing her off, her nose crinkles in the cutest way when she's mad. Even when she was fuming she looked as harmless as a bunny. This is my new favorite pastime.

**Leah POV**

_Sh__it! Shit! Shit!_ Frantically, I ran around the room looking for my purse. I slept in and I don't even remember turning off my alarm clock this morning. _Found it!!_

I ran downstairs, my mom handed me my lunch as I put my shoes on and I was out the door in a flash. I was suppose to meet Joyce before class to go over a few things but it looks like I'll be lucky if I even make it there before first bell.

I jumped into my car and turned the key in the ignition hurriedly. The engine roared to life like a bear waking up after months of hibernation. I hit the gas, speeding down the road with all haste. I turned the corner on to the main road and the car suddenly jerked forward. _Oh God!_ The car proceeded to make various profane noises and came to a halt halfway to school. _Nooooo!_ I rested my head against the steering wheel and worked to steady my frantic and frustrated breathing.

After I composed myself I popped the hood and began to inspect the engine. But my efforts were futile, because I couldn't even pretend to know what was wrong with the car or how to fix it in time to get me to the school before lunchtime! I heard something coming down the road, so I moved out to the side to see who was approaching.

**Jacob POV**

Well look what we have here, Ms Leah Clearwater herself, as the damsel in distress. I pulled up by her car smiling widely at my luck.

"Hey there beautiful, did that hunk of junk finally break down on you?"

"First off, I have a name, second, if you're just going to stand there, enjoying my misery then you can run along" she said with a strong tone of frustration.

"Easy there, I can help." I got off my bike and moved to inspect the car. "That won't be an easy fix."

"Oh and what do you know about cars?" She asked sceptically.

"Embry and I own a shop down the road, by the school, I can probably fix it unless you know of another mechanic…" she looked impressed for a moment.

"Well no I don't… looks like you've got the job", she said hesitantly, "but I still need to get to work somehow." I walked over to my bike and tossed her the extra helmet. She gave me her '_are you serious?'_ look and I smiled widely at her again. She rolled her eyes and put it on. She got on the bike and gripped my waist tightly.

"OK hold on tight" and she moved even closer, putting her head against my shoulder. If only the guys could see this! Leah Clearwater, on my bike, unbelievable!

**Leah POV**

Normally I don't take rides from strangers or incredibly hot 'Sam followers', but I wasn't left with any other option. Jacob sped off towards the school and I held on for dear life. I have no problem riding a bike myself but the thought of my life being in someone else's hands absolutely terrified me. On a bike, it's just you, your skin and the pavement. Not much else, except for a few layers of clothing.

I held on tightly as Jacob weaved the winding road. I couldn't help but notice his perfect abs as I held on to his waist. I was so lost in thought that I didn't realize we had arrived at the school until Jacob ran his warm hand over mine and started to laugh.

"Hey Clearwater, I think this is your stop" he said with a chuckle "mind you if you felt the need to ditch on the first day of school, I'll provide the transportation." I blushed severely as I got off the bike.

"Thanks for the offer but I don't think that it would be wise of me to set such a negative example so early in the term. I'm late, I should go, thanks for the ride Jacob." I said, _still_ blushing.

"My pleasure" he said with a wink and a smile. "We'll get your car towed to the shop, so come by tomorrow and I'll give you an update on the repairs, we're just down the road."

"Thanks" I flashed him a smile as I scurried to the closest door. _That was an interesting morning, since when do I blush?_ I contemplated the morning's events as I quickly made my way to my class. Joyce was already in the room, covering for me. I knocked on the window to the classroom door and she ushered me in. Joyce was a short jolly looking lady, with chin lenght curly black hair and pale green eyes. The laugh lines around her yes gave away her age.

"Don't worry about this morning. You're mom called me and advised me that you were running late. We can meet at lunch and go over a few things while the children are out for recess" she whispered warmly and I smiled appreciatively back.

"Now settle down class, this is your new teacher, Ms. Leah Clearwater. Let's give Ms. Clearwater a great big hello!"

"Hello Ms. Cleawwatew" the children said in unison.

"Ms. Leah would probably be easier" I said quickly after hearing their pronunciation of my surname.

"Hello Ms. Leah" the children said.

"I already took attendance, next is story time, so pick a book and get them together in the reading corner" Joyce instructed.

"Thank you so much Joyce. I'll see you at recess." She nodded, smiling all the while and left the room. I felt a light tug on my pants and looked down to see the sweetest face and a beautiful pair of brown eyes staring back at me.

"Ms. Leah, can you read this book?" he said as he handed me a book.

"Sure, and what's your name?"

"I'm Jamie" he said proudly as he pointed to his name tag. His smile caught me off guard. It was so familiar, like I've seen it before. But this was a little boy, there was no way I could have met him before. I've been gone for over 6 years now, which is about the same amount of years he's been alive. I shook the thought away as a little girl barrelled into me.

"Ms Leah, Jason pulled my hair" she pointed accusingly at a wild-haired little boy. I made Jason apologize and sat the class down for the story. The rest of the day was uneventful. Joyce and I went over my teaching plan and the school rules during lunch recess. I will definitely enjoy working for her, she's such a nice lady.

I loved this group of children but by the end of the day I was ready to pass out. Exhaustion fell over me in waves as I waited with the kids for their parents to pick them up in front of the school. One by one the parents arrived until I was left with Jamie. I scanned the area to see if there was anyone I would recognize. For a moment I thought I was imagining things when I saw his frame in the distance. But as he got closer my stomach began to churn as it was undeniably him. Then Jamie broke free of my hand and began to run towards him.

"Daddy, Daddy! You have to meet my new teacher!" Jamie said excitedly as he jumped up and down. Jamie tugged him towards me and I felt and instant urge to run in the opposite direction but my feet were motionless.

"Ms Leah this is my dad, dad this is Ms. Leah." I had to mentally hold my mouth closed otherwise my jaw would have dropped.

"Hi Lee-Lee" Sam said shyly.

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**A/N:** Yah... So... Sam's been busy since Leah left... Leah's reaction to this news will no doubt be overly dramatic, so look out for the next chapter coming soon. In the mean time, **please review**! Let me know what you think of the story so far or if you have any suggestions. I see a lot of traffic for each chapter but not much feedback.


	4. Chapter 4

******Disclaimer: Not Stephanie Meyer**

******A/N: **Thank you to hgmsnoopy, o0FLAM3S0o, tdfireproof, bvc17, oneandonlyluver, Sarah, hilja, LoveIt123 and sparechange1224 for being awesome and reviewing. It means a lot to me that you take the time to give me feedback. This chapter took me a longer time to write and I want to thank tdfireproof helping me out of my rut.

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_Don't want your hand this time  
I'll save myself  
Maybe I'll wake up for once  
Not tormented daily defeated by you  
Just when I thought I'd reached the bottom  
I'm dying again  
I'm going under  
Drowning in you  
I'm falling forever  
I've got to break through  
- Evanescence -_

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"You have a son?" I said quietly as a painful pressure filled my chest. I breathed in deep but the pain kept squeezing the air out of my lungs. He looked at me apologetically.

"Uh yah,… Emily got pregnant right after the wedding" he said as he looked down at Jamie and ran his hand over the boys head_. Right... the wedding, I missed that_. Jamie looked up at his dad and then at me, with a confused look on his face. He reached out and tugged my hand.

"Ms Leah are you okay?" I looked down at him and nodded even though I was definitely _not_ okay. It felt like my lungs were going to collapse under the pressure of the pain in my chest. I looked at Sam, right in the eyes for the first time in a long time.

"Why? Why didn't anyone tell me?" I felt betrayed.

"I guess they figured you've been though enough,… plus it was probably news that no one wanted to give you over the phone." Sam reasoned. But I couldn't accept that as an answer because this hurt too much just to shrug off.

I heard a familiar sound of a motorcycle and looked to the road just as Jacob passed the school. Our glances connected and with a light nod he slowed and did a u-turn that brought him back to the front of the school. He lifted his visor and motioned for me to come over. I gave Sam one last look.

"I'll see you tomorrow Jamie, be a good boy." I said as I ran to Jacob without looking back.

"Bye Ms. Leah" he called after me.

Sam glared daggers at Jacob, but Jacob looked completely unintimidated. I felt his muscles tense as I wrapped my arms around his waist, and I could have swore that he growled in Sam's direction, but it could have just been the noise from the bike. Jacob broke his stare and turned to me.

"Ready?"

"Yes, go." He lowered his visor, I followed in suite and he peeled out of the driveway of the school.

The pressure in my chest would not yield and again I didn't notice where we were or how fast we were going because I was completely lost in thought. It felt like Sam had just taken another piece of me against my will. We pulled up to my house and Jacob turned to me again.

"You want to go in or are you coming with me?" I looked at my house and could see movement in the kitchen window. It was probably my mom and I couldn't talk to her right now. I might say something I would regret later.

"I'm with you." He nodded, and started for the main street.

A short time after we passed the Forks town line, Jacob moved off on to a side road. It was dangerously narrow, on one side a cliff and on the other a stone wall. The road climbed almost endlessly up hill until in turned in to a path. Jacob moved off to the side of the road, turned off the bike and took off his helmet.

"This is our stop" he announced quietly.

He took my hand in his and led me down the path. I usually do not take lightly to being led around like a child but I felt defeated and in no mood to argue, so I followed silently. We broke through the trees and walked into a clearing on the side of a cliff.

"Wow" I breathed as I took in the view. The water in front of me sparkled in the early evening sun. The sky did not begin to turn yet but it looked promising to be a beautiful sunset. I turn to Jacob, still holding my look of wonder.

"This is incredible. How did you know about this place?"

"I found it once when I was younger, after my mother died. I couldn't stand it at home so I decided to run away. This is as far as I got." He said, without looking my direction. I felt pity for him in that moment and almost forgot why I was here instead of home.

"You did a better job then me in running away" he said with a short laugh.

"Yah I guess I did, mind you I was twice that age when I decided to leave" I said smiling softly in his direction.

"True enough" he agreed.

He motioned for me to sit next to him, and I complied. We sat on a flat boulder near the edge of the cliff, shoulder to shoulder, for an indistinguishable amount of time, until the sun started to fall towards the horizon. The mesmerizing hues of the sunset left me hypnotized and my thoughts moved to a dark place that I tried not to venture often to. I thought of Sam and about how we use to be. I remember all the dreams I had for us; marriage, children, a house, falling asleep in his arms for the rest of my life. I held on to those dreams tirelessly for too long. Even with the few relationships I had in Seattle, I still couldn't let go of Sam. But today, seeing Sam with Jamie, it made our breakup sort of final. I know that sounds ridiculous since we have been over for so long. But seeing Jamie made it final. There really is no going back now. I sighed deeply at that thought and released the pain in the form of tears. Jacob instinctively wrapped an arm around me with out a word. Jacob…. Why is he here with me?... I was grateful for his presence, whatever his reasons where for offering me a momentary escape, but his intentions were unclear.

"I think I need to go home now." I announced quietly. We stood up simultaneously and he turned me to face him. He lifted my chin up until out eyes met and smiled.

"Leah, don't cry over things you can't change." He wiped a tear from my cheek. "You're stronger then you give yourself credit for. You came back and you're facing your past." I gave him a weak smile and let one last tear fall. He took my hand in his, kissed it lightly and moved towards the trees with my hand in his. Neither of us said anything the rest of the way back to the bike, but we managed to achieve a small level of comfort between us that was not there before.

---------------

It was already dusk when we arrived at the house. The evening sun's rays have almost all disappeared and a darkness was steadily settling over La Push. I walked into the house and my mom was waiting for me at the kitchen table. I sat down across from her and folded my arms on the table in front of me.

"Seth told me what happened today" she announced.

"How did Seth know?"

"Sam called after school." She said his name cautiously, trying not to trigger any hysterical reactions.

"Should have known…"

"I'm sorry Leah, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. I didn't know that Jamie would be in your class. It's not how I wanted you to find out." I started to cry at my mom's words. Sobbing loudly, I dropped my head on to my folded arms in front of me. I heard her move out of her chair and she was by my side in an instant, brushing my hair back and rubbing my back soothingly.

"Shhhh shhh, don't cry honey, I'm sorry." I looked up at her finally, my mascara running down my face.

"How could you keep this from me? All of you?!" It's like someone stabbed me in a wound that was almost healing, opening it up again.

"I didn't know how to tell you, you barely talked to me and you wouldn't talk to Seth, Emily or Sam…" She tried to reason.... and she was right. I was unapproachable, barely kept contact and when I did call I kept the conversations brief. Why would she waste her few minutes of conversation on giving me news about Sam. That sobering thought helped me calm down. I breathed in and out slowly trying to put myself together again.

"I'm sorry" I breathed quietly and my mom instantly wrapped me in a hug.

"Aww my baby, I understand. I just want you to be happy and be able to put all this pain behind you." She kissed my forehead and slowly let go of me.

"I'll be ok mom, as long as there are no more surprises, I'll be ok" I said trying to reassure myself more then her.

"You will be Leah and I'm here for you if you ever need me".

-------------------

I settled in bed and retrieved my cell phone from the night stand.

"Missed Call, missed call, missed call, and missed call…. Some people just don't know how to take a hint" I said out loud as I scrolled through my contact list to find the one person who always knew exactly how to make me feel better. Sophie.

Sophie is my best friend from Seattle. We met in a Native American History class. I took the class to see how close our legends were to the popularized American versions and Sophie was taking the class to learn something about her culture. Sophie was adopted at birth by a nice couple out in California, but she was clearly Native American. Given that her adoption records were sealed, and she had no information about where she actually came from, classes like the one we met in helped her feel closer to a people she never knew.

Since then we've been inseparable and ended up sharing an apartment for the last few years. Sophie is like a sister I never had. She's also unnaturally intuitive, almost psychic I guess. There were so many times she had a "feeling" about something and she was right. That is another reason why I moved back home, Sophie had a_ feeling_ that there was something here for me. But after the week I had so far I'm not so sure about that.

"Hello Miss Leah, nice of you to grace me with a phone call," Sophie said playfully.

"Hi S… it's been an interesting couple of days, sorry for not calling you sooner."

"Uh-oh, what's going on? Are they being nice to you up there? You know you can always come back, I still haven't found a replacement roommate…" Sophie offered, and it made me smile. I proceeded to fill her in on all that has happened; coming home, Seth and his stupid friends, annoying Embry, my car, work, Sam, Jamie and Jacob.

"For a small, middle of nowhere, reservation you guys sure have a lot of drama" Sophie laughed.

"Hey, this isn't funny S!" I tried to sound serious but her laughter was contagious.

"Okay, but seriously, who's Jacob and Embry and why haven't you ever mentioned them?" she said once our fit of laughter faded.

"Stupid boys, Sam followers, they feel the need to ransack my fridge for food that doesn't belong to them and they act like they live here!" Sophie laughed again.

"Really? So you're actually complaining about a bunch of hot shirtless guys hanging around the house? Leah, if I were you, I'd be buying extra groceries!! Do you remember what the male population looks like here in Seattle?" I laughed at the thought.

"I'm serious, these guys are annoying, especially Embry. It's like he's going out of his way to push my buttons. And that smirk of his! Ugh, so annoying." I said frustrated and Sophie laughed again. "Jacob is another story. He's actually kind of sweet when he's not around the rest of them. He made me feel comfortable today…" my voice trailed off as I thought back to my time with Jacob today.

"Mhmm, I see where this is going, I can see the dreamy look in your eyes already!" she said accusingly.

"I have no idea what you are talking about and how could you possibly know what my 'dreamy eyed look' looks like?"

"Oh _I remember_. Did you forget Dex so soon? I remember when you two met very distinctively because I couldn't pull your head out of the clouds for days!" I blushed and Sophie laughed knowing very well that I remembered. "He called by the way, Dex, can you please call him?"

"Umm no I think I'll pass on that one. Plus, you said you didn't get a good feeling from him" I said in all seriousness and she sighed audibly.

"Fine… Alright my dear I have to get to sleep" she announced.

"Okay then. Thanks for listening S and I promise to call more often" I assured her.

"You better!" Sophie warned lightheartedly, "and I want to hear more about this Jacob. I'm not just here for crisis control." I rolled my eyes.

"What? You're a multipurpose friend?" I teased.

"Yes! And don't you forget it. Goodnight"

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**Next Chapter**: There will be more Leah and Jake moments and some more Embry in the mix!

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Thanks again for reading!!! **Please review **and let me know what you think, it just takes a moment ^_^  
If you have any suggestions about the characters or the story let me know.


	5. Chapter 5

******Disclaimer: Not Stephanie Meyer**

******A/N: **Thank you to hgmsnoopy, o0FLAM3S0o, tdfireproof, bvc17, hilja, LoveIt123 and sparechange1224 for being awesome and reviewing. I love looking at the "Story Traffic" to see from where in the world people accessed my story, so thanks to everyone reading this story from around the world.

Hope you like this chapter. For anyone who was wondering what happened to the Cullens in my story.... you will get an answer why they are not around.

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_Traded true love for insult and injury  
We washed it down the drain  
with one silver bullet and two vicodins  
_  
'Emma' by Alkaline Trio

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**Embry POV**

I was following the smell of food, which trailed from Emily's kitchen, all the way up to the door of the house. I opened the door and walked in taking another deep breath, trying to figure out what Emily was baking. We didn't need to knock really… the door was always open.

"Emily?" I called into the house but there was no answer. _Weird._ I walked in to the kitchen and saw three pies cooling on the counter but there was no sign of Emily. I heard some voices coming from the backyard, so like a foolish girl in a horror movie, I went to investigate. Getting closer to the back of the house I could see Emily through the screen door, standing on the back porch, yelling out into the yard. It wasn't until I got to the door that I realized there were two huge wolves circling each other.

"Oh thank god you're here Embry! Can you get them to stop being so damn _idiotic_!" She accented that last word as she yelled it towards the wolves. From the looks of it, Sam and Jacob were in some heated argument. As much as I wanted to see a good fight, I wanted Emily to get started on lunch. So I ran to the side of the house by the shed, stripped off my clothes and felt the intensity of the phase as it ripped through my body.

"_Why don't you just mind your own business Sam!_" Jacob yelled.

"_This _is_ my business, one of my pack members, carelessly getting involved with someone they shouldn't _is my business_!!_" Sam shot back as he continued to circle around with Jacob, both getting dangerously close to the each other.

"_Leah is _not yours_ to protect anymore and she's not a child, if she wants to hang out with me, then she should be free to do so_." Jake almost matched Sam's tone of authority. He is the true alpha after all…

"_Leah?_" I repeated the name and both of them stopped to regard me.

Sam quickly replayed the events of yesterday afternoon in front of the school for me. I could feel his pain as he looked into Leah's captivating eyes for the first time in years. He felt so much remorse for hurting her almost all over again. Then I felt his rage as he watched Leah jump on to the back of Jake's bike. I looked to regard Jacob waiting for an explanation.

"_Really Jake? Leah?_" He rolled his eyes at me and his memories spewed forth. I felt the comfort he felt when she sat next to him on the cliff and when she smiled at him. _What, she smiled?_ Even that small smile she gave him was enough to take your breath away and leave you mesmerized…. _What the hell? Were those my feelings or his??_ Then a series of thoughts filled my brain that I _knew_ for certain were not mine because they all involved Leah and Jake making out on the forest floor.

"_What the hell!_" Sam growled.

"_Opps sorry. Well that last part didn't actually happen…_" Jake shrugged and Sam lunged at his neck. _Crap_. I launched myself in Jake's direction, barreling into him to get him out of Sam's grasp. Sam growled at me dangerously, baring his teeth, as I stood in between him and Jacob.

"Sam Uley! Stop it this instant or you'll be sorry, DO YOU HEAR ME!" Emily shouted. The weight of her words sank in and Sam retracted his offensive position.

"_Sam go_" I bade him "_I'll talk to him._" Sam looked back at Emily who wore a very displeased look on her face, with her hands on her hips.

"_If you hurt her I will rip out your throat Jacob Black_." Sam warned sternly, and then turned towards the house. I nudged Jacob in the direction of the forest line.

"_Lets go, we need to talk._" I fell in to a run and Jacob followed. Images of Leah flashed in my thoughts, some were mine some were his; Leah dancing around the house, Leah stranded on the side of the road, Leah yelling at me for eating her food, Leah's eyes sparkling with tears in the evening sun….. and the slide show continued to a point were I wasn't sure again if the feelings I was experiencing were my own. Jacob was completely lost in his thoughts of Leah to even notice my confusion. We got closer to Jacob's house and I slowed down.

"_Alright Jake, what's going on?_"

"_I can't get her out of my head Embry_"

"_I can see that, _literally_.._" He barked in laughter. "_But are you serious about this? It's not going to be like all the other girls? Because this is different, this is Seth's sister, Sam's ex, this is not just some random girl you're trying to hook-up with, you realize that, right?_"

"_I swear this is not like that. You know how I've been for the last few years, vacant, miserable and guilty . I feel like she could be the one to fill that empty void. Maybe its fate, maybe I'm ready to move on… all the others never could have replaced Bella, they were never anywhere close to making me feel whole again. But Leah, in just that one afternoon, she made a difference. No one has been able to do that since Bella's death_." I wave of guilt and sadness hit me like a brick wall.

I hate it when he got like this. Stupid whiney leech lover Bella got herself killed in a cliff jumping accident the day Harry Clearwater had a heart attack and Jacob hasn't been able to forgive himself for not being able to save her. We spent years trying to get him to forgive himself and to forget _her_. Once he finally got well enough to get on with his life, he went looking for love in all the wrong places; bars, clubs. He met some very friendly girls, but none that he thought would make him forget about Bella _fucken_ Swan.

"_Look Jacob, I know you still feel somehow responsible for Bella's death but there was nothing you could have done differently. She jumped off a cliff, during a storm, and no human could have survived that_." I've said this to him a million times.

"_I know I know, I'm not going to start that again. Embry, I think this time it's different._"

"_Let's hope so…_" For his sake I hoped so, otherwise Seth and Sam will rip him to shreds.

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**Leah POV**

"Hey Seth, can you drive me to work?" I still didn't have my car and I really didn't want to walk.

"I can't, I'm already late for work and it's in the opposite direction. If I'm late one more time my boss will fire me on the spot." He said apologetically. "Hey! Why don't you take the bike?"

"The bike?"

"Yah, dad's bike. I had it fixed a few months ago, but never got around to getting my final motorcycle license so it's been just sitting in the garage."

"Good call little brother." He smiled widely at me. I think I just made his day. "Bye!"

I got the bike out of the garage, wiped it done and started the engine. It roared to life and the sound reminded me of my dad. He's the one that taught me how to ride. With a sigh I got on the bike and made my way to school.

-------------------

The day went on without incident. The kids were getting use to the new class routine and everything was going smoothly. I couldn't help but stare at Jamie. He looked just like Sam and he even had Sam's mannerism. It was really weird. Jamie looked a little like Emily too; he had her nose. He was the sweetest kids, perfect, and completely lovable. There was no way I could be resentful towards him, especially when he smiled at me with that precious smile.

As the day drew to a close my thoughts moved to Jacob. I was sort of excited and anxious all at the same time about going to the shop to check on my car. I hoped that it was finished because the weather turns to rain and snow very quickly here in La Push. Joyce offered to wait with the kids after school and I was completely grateful. Last thing I needed right now was a repeat of yesterday.

-------------------

The shop wasn't hard to find. Just like Jacob said, it was just down the street from the school.

_B & C Car Repair_. I pulled in to the parking lot. The lot was lined with various cars on sale, probably ones that the guys repaired themselves. I heard music blaring from the garage so I proceeded to search for a source.

The garage was actually pretty well organized considering the two people who were running it. I mean Jacob and Embry can barely get it together enough to get some laundry done so that they wouldn't have to walk about without shirts. I wasn't expecting an organized work space out of them.

I finally recognized the song playing, it was Monkey Wrench by Foo Fighters, _how fitting_. I could hear someone signing, but I couldn't see who it was amongst all the cars in the shop. Walking past one car on a lift I found the source of the out of tune singing. He stood there with his head under the hood of the car. His blue coverall were half off and secured at his waist, and black sleeveless shirt clung to his body just enough to show off all the muscles down his back as he worked.

"_Don't want to be your monkey wrench, One more indecent accident, I'd rather leave than suffer this, I'll never be your monkey wrench_" amused I watched his head bobbed to the music as he sang out of key and continued to work on the car.

"Maybe you shouldn't sing so out of tune, I can't imagine that it's good for the car." I said startling him, his head shot up so quick he hit it on the hood of the car above him.

"Argh! Dammit'! Shit that hurt" He turned to me "What the hell Leah?!" He moved his hand away from his head and blood started trickle from his hair line. Half amused at his anger and half concerned for his wound I approached him.

"Come here Embry let me look at that, you're bleeding" He looked at me confused then looked at his hand which had traces of blood on it.

"Ahh see what you did!"

"Stop being such a baby, come here and let me look at it, you might need stitches." But he batted my hand away and took one step back.

"Don't you think you did enough damage already princess?"

"First of all I have a name and its not princess, second if you want to bleed out all over your shop floor then be my guest, I'll just stand here and watch. If you bleed to death at least there will be some more food in my fridge and one less juvenile delinquent hanging around the house." I said crossing my arms across my chest.

"Ouch" He moved his hand to his chest pretending like my words went straight for the heart. He pouted and started to walk away.

"Hey now where are you going, I was just kidding." I followed him. We walked to the office/kitchen space they had set up in the back and Embry pulled out a first aid kit from the cupboard. He sat at the table and started searching through it.

"Here, let me" I said as I pulled the kit away from him, "my mom's a nurse remember? She spent countless hours teaching me first aid."

"Fine, but if you use the stinging liquid then your first aid privileges will be revoked" He said with smirk. _Ugh, that smirk, so annoying, he thinks he's so smart_. I just rolled my eyes. I found the rubbing alcohol pads, stepped towards him as he sat in a chair in front of me and started to inspect the wound. He looked at the alcohol pad sceptically.

"What's that? Is that the stinging stuff?" I smiled evilly and proceeded forward. He leaned back in the chair with a look of fear.

"No Leah, get away from me. I told you, no stinging liquids of any kind! Your nurse privileges are over." But I stilled moved forward.

"Don't be such a baby Embry, you need to disinfect it. You hit your head on a rusty car hood. Now stop twitching and get over here." I pulled him closer, managed to avoid his defensive hand gestures and began to rub the alcohol pad over his wound.

"Oooowww that hurts Leah!!" he squirmed but didn't push me away.

"Hold still" With one hand on his shoulder, I lowered my lips to his head and blew cool air to relieve the stinging. He relaxed almost immediately and I was able to feel the muscles in his shoulders loosen. "See! You survived you big baby."

"You're not a nurse, you're a medieval torturer!!"

"Just returning the favor. You've been a pain in the ass since my first day back." I said as I held my evil smile. He looked up at me with his warm brown eye as I finished cleaning up the wound which pretty much stopped bleeding altogether. His gaze was like nothing I've ever seen before, simple but soft and warm and his eye searched my face for a reaction. Only then did I realize how close I was to him and how unnaturally comfortable I was with this lack of distance between us. Then it seemed like his lips were getting closer.

"Ahem, am I interrupting something?" startled I looked to the door to see Jacob looking at us.

"Umm I was just helping Embry with the cut he got on his head,…. Because ummm he hit his head on the hood of the car that he was working on and I didn't want it to get infected." I explained trying to keep cool but failing miserably. I took one step back from Embry.

"Yah she felt the need to play medieval torturer and used those stinging alcohol wipes on the cut" Embry added with a light laugh which helped me relax.

"You're such a whiny baby" I turned to him and joined in the laughter. Jacob laughed as well.

"So I'm guessing that before Embry sustained this horrific injury, you came here to check on your car?" I smiled and nodded. "Okay then come with me Leah and I'll show you what's going on with it so far." He reached out his hand for mine and I complied, putting my hand in his and he placed his other hand on the small of my back leading me out of the room. I took one glance over my shoulder to see Embry smirking at me. _Ugh, that smirk, so annoying._

_

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_

**A/N:** Yup, so the Cullens never came back after New Moon because Bella died in the cliff jumping stunt she pulled and Jacob was not there to save her. So sorry... but I'm not Bella's biggest fan.

Hope you like the chapter!!! Review, review, review..... plz let me know what you think of the story (good or bad)._ THANKS!!!  
_


	6. Chapter 6

******Disclaimer: Not Stephanie Meyer**

******A/N: **Thank you to sshanmugam, o0FLAM3S0o, bvc17, TaylorLautnerLover1, hilja, tdfireproof, Kaiottic-Rawr-, hgmsnoopy, and LoveIt123for being awesome and reviewing!!  
I'm really glad that no one had any big issues with Bella being dead and the Cullens not being around.

So like I said last chapter, I really like looking at my Story Traffic and as of today the story passed 1,000 hits. *does happy dance*  
Thanks to everyone who has taken an interest in this story and everyone who has subscribed to the story or added it to their favorites.

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**Jacob POV**

_That was kind of awkward_. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that I just interrupted a very special moment between Leah and Embry…. but Embry's signature casual smirk told me otherwise. All thoughts of what just occurred were expelled the moment Leah smiled at me and took my hand.

"I have good news and bad news, which do you want first?" I asked as we walked over to her car.

"That's a tough one…" she said while biting on her lower lip, _so hot_ "give me the bad news first."

"Okay, well the bad news is that the car isn't done yet, I'm still waiting for a part to come in. The other bad news is that my services are not cheap." She eyed me sceptically and pursed her lips.

"I see. What's the good news?"

"The good news is that there are a couple of discounts that you qualify for. First, there's the 'Beautiful Girl' discount and second there is a 'Go out on a date with your mechanic' discount that you can take advantage of if you so choose." She rolled her eyes and blushed.

"That was smooth Jake, very smooth." She said sarcastically.

"Hey, it was worth the try." I shrugged nonchalantly.

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes I would love to go out with you." She smiled at me shyly. She's so damn cute.

"Awesome. How about Saturday? I'll pick you up at 7?" at this point I was more excited then I could ever remember. _Leah Clearwater_ just said yes to going on a date with me! Leah Clearwater!!

"It's a date. Don't be late mister. So about the car, when will it be ready?"

"Probably late next week. Do you want a ride home? I can take a break and drop you off."

"No thanks, I have acquired alternate means of transportation. I got tired of being left stranded and waiting for someone to rescue me all the time" She said as I eyed her curiously and took my hand leading me to the front of the shop where Harry Clearwater's bike stood.

"You can ride this thing?" I pointed to it in disbelief.

"Mhmm, my dad taught me how." She said proudly "Alright thanks Jake, I'll see you on Saturday." She started the bike, put on her helmet and with a wave in my direction she was gone.

I stood there in amazement, watching her drive away. _Wow. Leah Clearwater is my date on Saturday._

"Hey why don't you stop drooling and do some work, huh?" I turned to see Embry grinning at me.

"That was Leah Clearwater, my date for Saturday night" I said excitedly and did a little victory dance. Embry laughed and threw a rag at me.

"You're such a nerd. Make sure you don't take her dancing otherwise there won't a second date" I stopped dancing to scowl at him, which only made him laugh louder.

"Hey, good job on faking hurt earlier." I said to him as we walked back into the shop.

"Yah well I didn't want her to get suspicious, so I let her play nurse." I eyed him for a moment and then shrugged it off. I've been in his head, I know I don't have to worry about him.

"Good call, I'd let her play nurse with me any day." _That would be hot_. I started imagining Leah in one of those sexy nurse outfits that girls wear for Halloween. _Definitely hot_.

"I have a feeling it's a good thing that we aren't phased right now… don't want to know what's going in your brain. Speaking of you and your inability to keep your dirty thoughts to yourself,… have you told Seth yet? If I were you I'd warn him before he catches you daydreaming in wolf form and finds out the hard way."

"Ugh, you're right; I guess I should tell the kid before Sam does."

"That's if he hasn't already told him." Embry pointed out.

"No, if Seth knew he'd already be at my door, ready to break it down" As if on cue, a breeze from the outside came into the shop and I could smell him.

"Speak of the devil" Embry said with a light laugh. I turned to see Seth glaring at me furiously, his hands clenched in fists at his sides.

"Hey there Seth. We were just talking about you. What's up?" I said trying to sound casual.

"What's up? WHAT'S UP?!?! Why don't _you_ tell me Jacob? What the hell do you think you're doing with my sister?!" His knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists tighter.

"Hold on there Seth." I put my hands up in protest "You need to calm down, I didn't do anything yet. I just asked her out." But this didn't seem to calm him. I took one step back and I could hear Embry snickering behind me.

"Hey Seth, come on, do you think that Jacob is the first guy to try to get in your sisters pants?" Embry said and we both glared at him.

"You're not really helping Embry" I hissed.

"Okay let's just calm down for a moment" Embry replied back as he walked over to Seth putting an arm over his shoulder. "Why are you so mad Seth? Isn't it better that Leah date someone you know?"

"Sure that would be great if that person hasn't already bedded 90% of the women in the Olympic Peninsula. If it was you Embry it would be a different story." _Huh?_

"Hold on now, I haven't slept with _that_ many women" I regretting saying that almost immediately and Seth scoffed. "Okay, besides that, this is different. Leah is not like those girls and not just because she's your sister, she's special, I don't want to mess this up." I said honestly. Both Embry and Seth eyed me sceptically.

"Look Seth, you're sister seems to think that Jake isn't so bad, and she's willing to give him a chance, so maybe you should let her make that decision on her own. Remember, she's been doing this whole dating thing on her own for the last few years already. I think that she can handle this one on her own as well little brother" Embry said in my defence. _I have to remember to buy this guy a beer or something._

"Fine, you're right Embry". Seth visibly calmed almost immediately and I sighed in relief. "Okay Jake, I won't stand in your way, but I swear on my life, if you hurt her there will be hell to pay."

"That's the spirit" Embry nudged Seth. "Were pack brothers, there's no reason to fight _yet_." He laughed, Seth and I joined in.

* * *

**Leah POV**

The rest of the week was uneventful and I found myself counting down the days to Saturday. I made sure to inform Sophie of this new development and she was excited about it almost as much as me. It's too bad that she's too far to tell if she has a 'good feeling' about Jake. I've relied on her for that kind of information in the last few years. Guess I have to trust my gut on this one.

Saturday morning I woke up from another exceptionally goodnight sleep. Since I've been home I have slept more then usually. I bounced down the stairs to the kitchen for breakfast even though it was closer to lunch time. Mom was in the kitchen cooking something and she regarded me curiously as I entered the kitchen.

"What's up mom?" I said with a wide smile.

"You tell me missy. I haven't seen you this chipper since… well for a very long time. Are you on drugs?" She said with a raised eyebrow and one hand on her hip.

"Don't be ridicules mom." I rolled my eyes at her.

"Then what's going on? You've been in an exceptionally good mood for the last few days. Not that I mind, I just want to know what's got you so happy."

"She's got a date" Seth said as he entered the kitchen.

"What? A date? With who?" You could hear the giddiness in her voice and Seth rolled his eyes. I swear my mom can act like a school girl sometimes.

"Yes, I do actually and how did you know?"

"Obviously, the guys told me about it. Jacob has been ranting about it since the moment he asked you." _Really?! _I thought excitedly.

"It's really not that big a deal." I said trying to sound casual, but mom and Seth weren't convinced.

"Mhmm sure sure honey." Mom said sceptically. I poured myself a bowl of cereal and started munching down pretending to ignore the looks they gave me.

"We need to talk Leah." Seth said seriously as he sat across from me at the kitchen table.

"Okay…"

"It's about Jacob and your date tonight."

"What about it?"

"I know Jake, he's a good friend, but if he tries anything that you're not comfortable with" cereal almost came out through my nose and I started coughing.

"SETH!" I shouted cutting him off.

"No Leah let me finish" he protested "if he tries anything you tell me"

"Seth _stop it_" I said again "_Mom_? Tell him something!"

"Listen to me, you tell me and I'll make sure he regrets the day he was born." At this point I was turning beat red. _What's next is he going to give me a sex talk too?_

"Seth, enough already, Leah is a big girl and she can handle herself just fine." Mom finally said, completely amused by the situation.

"Thank you!" I breathed a sigh of relief when Seth said nothing more on the topic.

* * *

It was almost time to go. I just finished straightening my hair and getting dress, and now I was putting on the final touches on my makeup. Trying to keep it simple I put on a pair of dark fitted jeans, a navy coloured short-sleeved v-neck shirt and my white DC shoes.

I heard Jacob pull to the house on his bike, grabbing my jacket I hurried downstairs before my little brother 'the enforcer' got anywhere near my date. To my dismay, Seth was already on the porch staring down Jacob who was casually leaning against his bike. If looks could kill Jake would be dead.

"Calm yourself lil' brother, I'll be fine." I gave him a quick hug and made my way swiftly down the drive way to the exceptionally hot looking guy that was here to take me out.

"Hey there beautiful." He said smiling widely at me "ready to go?" I blushed uncontrollably and just nodded as I feared that my words would come out in a jumble of incoherent sounds. Damn this guy cleans up nicely. He handed me the helmet as he got on the bike. I wrapped my arms around his waist and managed to choke out a few words.

"So where are we going?"

"You'll see" he said with a wink.

* * *

**A/N:** _The date is next!_ I have a few ideas of where Jacob could take her but I will gladly accept and suggestions as well. So let me know if you have an date ideas for Leah and Jacob.

_Thanks for reading and please review!!!_ Let me know what you like/dislike so far. Thanks ^_^


	7. Chapter 7

******Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.  
**

******A/N: **Thank you to tdfireproof, o0FLAM3S0o, JoJoSoPo, hilja, TaylorLautnerLover1, and bvc17 for being awesome and reviewing!! You're reviews really keep me interested in writing and they push me to updated sooner so KEEP 'EM COMING! Thanks to everyone who has taken an interest in this story and everyone who has subscribed to the story or added it to their favorites.

I have great news!!! Super fantastic, **sshanmugam** has offered to edit my chapters because she was sick and tired of my errors :oP  
Thanks S *hugs*

**Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

_You make me weightless_  
_When I get home I float around my whole living room_  
_You make it painless_  
_Like I am on acetaminophen all the time_

Weightless by See Spot Run

* * *

**Embry POV**

Dusk was turning into night as I stood at the edge of tree line, watching Leah skip excitedly down the drive way towards Jacob. Her smile could have lit up the darkest night and in that split second I remembered how I use to wish that she would smile at me like that. Even in the most recent moments, when she was fuming at me, causing me bodily harm or torturing me with stinging liquids, I got that warm feeling because she was near. But who am I kidding; entertaining such stupid thoughts will only leave me hurt. It's not like she felt the same anyway, I saw the way she looks at Jacob and I couldn't compete with that.

I spent one night patrolling with Jacob and I couldn't get her out of my head. In wolf form I get a clear view of his thoughts and unfortunately there really isn't anything else on his mind right now. She's the only thing he thinks about… her smile, her eyes, her laugh, her soft beautiful skin… _oh god this has to stop_.

The sound of the motorcycle taking off down the road brought me back to reality and I saw Quil walking out of the trees on the other side of the road. With a great sigh I moved towards the Clearwater house, feeling a tinge of resentment as I watched Jacob drive off.

"Hey Quil, where are the rest of the guys?" I said as we met on the driveway.

"Paul is with Rachel, watching some god awful chick flick, Notebook, I think and Jared is with Kim at her grandmother's house. Imprint couples… you know how it is." He shrugged in disappointment as I grimaced in agreement.

"Ummm, what about your imprint?"

"Oh, Claire? She has a bedtime you know. Plus, she was really tired today. We spent the whole day at the petting zoo." I laughed in response. "What?", he stared at me with a puzzled look.

"A petting zoo? Quil Ateara, the guy with the smoothest pickup lines out of the whole pack, spent his whole day playing nanny and petting farm animals. That just sounds wrong."

"Hey, you don't have to be an ass about it. Wait till you imprint!" Quil said defensively and I mentally scoffed in response, _Yah right, me imprint? Highly doubt it._ But I didn't want to argue with him because this is not a conversation I would win.

"Okay man, sorry, let's just go in and watch the fight, Seth's waiting for us." I said as I calmed my laughter.

**Leah POV**

Being on the bike with Jacob felt liberating, like I was leaving behind all the painful moments of my life. I felt warm and safe, with my arms around his waist, even as we sped down the highway. I had no idea where we were going until we turned down the road to the county fair grounds. We pulled into the gravel parking lot and I got off the bike with the excitement of a child coursing through me.

"Oh my god Jake, were going to the Fall Fair?" he nodded, looking pretty pleased with himself. "This is awesome, come on let's go" he took hold of my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine, as I walked hastily towards the entrance. The sound of bells, buzzers and laughing children enveloped us as we entered the fair.

"Do you realize that I haven't been to one of these since I was a kid?! Oh look, cotton candy and funnel cakes!" He laughed in response as I pointed to different stands.

"Wow Leah, I thought you might like it but I seriously didn't think you would be this excited about it."

"Come on, you can't tell me that coming to a place like this doesn't make you feel young again, doesn't take you back to when things were simple and fun." I said as I twirled around like a little girl. The lights, music and the smell of popcorn brought me back to my trouble-free childhood.

"Yah, I guess it does" he said with a chuckle. "So what do you want to do first?"

"Bumper cars!" I grabbed hold of his hand again and tugged him forward as he continued to laugh. After our head trauma-inducing session on the bumper cars we went on the rollercoaster, and then the spinning swings. The whole time Jacob never let go of my hand, and it felt nice. Our fingers intertwined comfortably together. It was soothing and I liked the way my hand felt when it was enveloped by his.

"Hey are you hungry?" Jacob said while eyeing the corndog stand.

"Sure, what did you have in mind?"

"Corndogs?"

"No way, I have a strict, no-meat-on-sticks policy for any fair. One time my mom took Seth and I to the Fourth of July celebration in town when we were younger, we both had corndogs and were sick all the way home. It wasn't pretty." I paled just remembering the ordeal.

"Okay, okay, no corndogs" he lifted his hand up in defense "What about pizza?"

"Now you're talking!" Just the thought of food now made my stomach rumble in hunger.

"Good, let's go 'cuz I'm starving" and he wasn't kidding. I watched him eat almost two large pizzas. Sitting across the picnic table from him I munched down on my slice as he wolfed down one slice after another.

"Jeez Jake, do you even taste the food when you inhale it like that?" He let out a muffled chuckle as he stuffed his face again.

"I don't want it to get cold" he laughed and then took a big gulp of his soda.

"So, what's next?" I said as he polished off the last slice.

"I don't think I could do any rides right now, I need to let my stomach settle."

"Probably a good I idea" I agreed, he just finished eating more pizza then I thought was humanly possible in one sitting. "Games?" I suggested.

"Sure, let's see if we can beat these carnies and actually win something." This time he was the one who was excited.

In the first game we played, you had to throw a ball into a tilted wicker basket. While that sounded like an easy thing to do, it actually proved to be severely challenging. I threw the first ball but it bounced right out and the second with similar results as Jacob laughed.

"Hey quit your laughing, you think this is easy?"

"Yah I do actually, you're angle is all wrong. You have to arch the ball into the basket. Here, let me show you." He stood behind me, his warm hand ran the length of my right arm in which I held the ball, while his other hand rested on my hip. "Okay, relax your arm, good, now swing back lightly and let go of the ball at about this point." I nodded in agreement but it was hard to concentrate with his warm body near mine and his lips in close proximity to my neck. He finally took on step back to give me enough room. I threw an underhanded toss and the ball connected with the basket. This time it stayed in!

"Oh my god Jake did you see that!? I did it! Thank you!" I jumped in delight as he caught me in a hug, lifted me a foot off the ground and spun me around catching me completely by surprise. He then slowly let me down, still holding my waist hostage, and I became very aware of his lips within reach of mine. Holding me close, he reached up with one hand to brush my bangs to the side, rested his hand on my neck and my breath hitched as he slowly moved to close the remaining distance between us.

"Ahem, miss? Which toy would you like?" said the carnie behind counter. Jacob, suddenly distracted, turned to the carnie staring daggers at him, while I blushed and pulled away from Jacob, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"Oh umm sorry, yes, can I have that puppy?" I said blushing uncontrollably.

"It's not a puppy, it's a wolf, and do you still want it?" he said with a tinge of frustration in his voice.

"Yes"

"A wolf?" Jacob said with a raised eyebrow.

"What? It's cute." I defended.

"You like wolves?"

"Yah, they're like puppies, just cooler, and we descended from wolves remember?" He laughed at my explanation and wrapped a huge arm around my shoulders.

"Come on beautiful, let's see if we can win you any more wolves."

We played a few more games, had some ice cream and decided to call it a night. On the way back I had to fight hard not to fall asleep on the back of the bike. I was tired and Jacob was so warm and comfortable. But as we neared the house, the anticipation of our goodbye sobered me right up. A warm excitement filtered through my body as we pulled up to the house and I got off the bike.

"So… thank you for the great night Jake, I had a lot of fun." He reached out and took my hand as I tried not to blush under his admiring gaze. His face was illuminated but the intermittent glow of the moonlight creeping through the breaks of swiftly rushing clouds in the night sky. He gave me the most amazing smile as I looked up at him and he pulled me closer.

"Then, is it safe to say that if I asked you out again, you'd say yes?" he asked as he ran his hand along the side of my neck lifting my chin up and studying my eyes for a reaction to his advances. My breath hitched again as his other hand snaked its way around my waist to rest itself on the small of my back.

"Mhmm" was all I managed to choke out as I nodded in agreement to his question and he lowered his lips even closer to mine as if he was trying to test my willpower. I felt his warm breath on my lips, and letting go of any reservations, I reach up on my tippy toes to bring my lips to his. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he pulled me even closer. My whole being screamed in approval of my actions and I felt the need to push the invisible boundaries even further, but I resisted thanks to what must have been divine intervention.

I slowed the kiss to a more controllable pace and finally let go of his lips with a sigh. Curling my lips inward, I savored the last remaining taste of his lips on mine. I took one step back, still holding his hand.

"I guess this is goodnight…" I said while watching him try to compose himself.

"Good night beautiful" he finally said giving me a drop dead gorgeous smile that made me melt inside. I walked up to my door giving him one last wave I walked into the house. I felt like I was walking on air, and I practically floated into the living room. Until Seth spoke, I didn't even realize I had an audience.

"Judging by the look on your face I'm assuming the date went well?" Seth asked but I barely heard him. "Earth, to Leah, come in Leah,…?" I merely just looked at him with a wide smile and he rolled his eyes at me while Quil laughed. I looked over at Embry who wore an unamused look on his face.

"What's with you Call? No smartass remarks today?" I teased but my words did not trigger any reaction. "Don't worry Embry, you can still have him during work hours, I won't steal your Jacob from you." Seth and Quil laughed in response but still Embry had no comeback, which was strange. I've become accustomed to his partly-witty responses.

"Hey guys, I'm gotta get going, it's late." He finally said as he got off the couch and the guys groaned in response.

"Oh come on Embry, the main fight hasn't even started, where are you going?" Seth protested.

"I'm just tired and not in the mood to watch this." I wasn't sure what he meant by 'this'. Did he mean my display of happiness or the fight? With one last frustrated look around the room, he headed for the door.

"What's with him?" I looked questioningly at Seth and Quil, who simultaneously shrugged in response.

* * *

**A/N:** So that was the date! Did you like it?!!?!? Let me know!_ Thanks for reading and please review!!!_

**Next Chapter: **I think Emily might make her first appearance.... so stay tuned for that.


	8. Chapter 8

******Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.  
**

******A/N: **Thank you to bvc17, tdfireproof, o0FLAM3S0o, hilja, JoJoSoPo, moonlit-summer-night, TaylorLautnerLover1 for being awesome and reviewing!!  
The story is up to 1,600 hits!!!! So a BIG thank you as well to all the silent readers out there! (It would be great to hear from you)

This is sort of a filler chapter I guess, but it's the longest chapter yet. **Hope you like it****!

* * *

**

_Like the angel you are_  
_You laugh creating_  
_A lightness in my chest_  
_Your eyes they penetrate me_  
_Never cease to amaze me_

Like the Angel – Rise Against

* * *

**Leah POV**

Seeing Embry upset actually bothered me a little more then I expected. After he stormed out I went upstairs and started getting ready for bed even though I was far from sleepy. I was still on a high from the amazingly breathtaking kiss I shared with Jacob. Squeezing the last remnants of toothpaste out of the tube, the look on Embry's face staring back at me was still flashing through my brain. I have never seen him look so miserable and annoyed all at the same time. He usually wore his annoying smirk around me.

I couldn't help but think it was something I said. He annoyed the hell out of me, more then I thought was humanly possible. We were always tearing into each other back and forth, but what if I finally said something that he considered to be out of line? What if he was mad at me about what happened back at the shop? I never really apologized… and there was that short moment, when he looked at me with that strange expression before Jacob showed up… I suddenly realize that I was brushing my teeth for far too long, to the point that the toothpaste foam was gone.

I finished up in the bathroom and sprawled out on my bed the moment I returned to my room. Pushing all thoughts of miserable Embry aside, I focused on the pleasantly warm feeling in the pit of my stomach. I closed my eyes and my lips curled up in to a smile as I remembered my date with Jacob. He was so amazingly sweet; I couldn't even begin to explain. Every time he flashed that beaming smile at me, I felt lightness in my chest and the look in his warm brown eyes, right before we kissed, made my stomach turn in anticipation.

I had to tell someone, I couldn't keep all this in! There was really only one person I knew who I would want to share this with, Sophie. I dialed her number and waited eagerly for her to pick up.

"Hello?" Sophie answered a moment later.

"Hi Sophie" I squeaked with a giggle.

"Was the date really that good?" I could hear the excitement in her voice.

"Mhmm" this also came out at a higher octave then I expected. Jeez, what is with me? First, I'm blushing, and now I'm giggling and my voice sounds like a high pitched teenage boy-band loving minor.

"That's awesome! Tell me where did he take you, what did you wear, how good did he look, was there a kiss? There had to be a kiss, otherwise you wouldn't be this giddy! Tell me this instant!" She demanded light-heartedly and I proceeded to fill her in on all details of the evening.

"Oh Sophie you were right, it was a good idea to move here. At first I wasn't sure but things have snowballed so quickly into something good."

"Yah everything sounds awesome, I'm so excited for you Leah. And Jacob sounds so sweet."

"Yah he is. Hey, remember that guy Embry I told you about?"

"Mhmm, the annoying hot guy."

"Annoying is right. But I think I finally really pissed him off. He was with Seth when I came home and he didn't say a word to me. He looked so mad."

"Huh, maybe he likes you…."

"No way, he usually goes out of his way to play on my nerves, so I highly doubt that he is interested."

"Oh come on, you're a school teacher, you've seen it before, the little boy is mean to the little girl, but only because the little boy likes the girl. So he pulls her hair, to get her attention." I laughed in response to her analogy.

"Ha! I highly doubt _that_. I think it's because Jacob is his best friend and he's afraid of losing him to a girl." Truthfully, I believed this was it. I know I would be scared of losing Sophie to a boy.

"Oh damn, Embry is Jacob's _best friend_? That makes it even more interesting, the plot thickens, it's a love triangle!" I wish she could see me rolling my eyes because now she was just being ridicules.

"Seriously, calm yourself drama queen! There's no love triangle and Embry is _not_ annoying me because he likes me!! He's probably just being territorial when it comes to his friend." That was a good reason and it was the only reasonable explanation I could come up with.

"Mhmm whatever you say my dear." Sophie agreed unconvincingly.

"I think your crazy supernatural intuition is failing S."

"Now why would you say that? I bet you any money I'm right!" Sophie said confidently.

"How 'bout you come up here and see for yourself?" I know Sophie likes a challenge, plus I missed her company. It would be awesome if she came up to visit.

"Really?" She said eagerly. "You want me to come visit you at La Push??! That would be awesome, when?" Wow, I didn't think she would be this excited but this is great.

"Can you come up for Thanksgiving? That way you can stay for more then on night..., or do you have to go back home?"

"My parents are going away for Thanksgiving. I think to the Mexico or somewhere like that, and I don't want to go to my aunt's house without them. So, _for sure_ I'll come for Thanksgiving! Yay, this is so exciting, I missed you so it will be awesome to see you again and I've never been on a reservation before." That's true, I've never thought of that! Sophie is native but she was adopted, so she's never had a chance to experience rez life, not that all natives live on reservations, but still…

"Perfect! We'll finalize the plans later, right now I have to go to sleep."

"Good night Leah"

"Good night S"

* * *

Sunday passed by lazily and I slipped comfortably back into my new routine. I sat eating my lunch in the teacher's lounge, half listening to Joyce talk animatedly about some new show she's been watching over the last few weeks, when my cell phone vibrated in my purse. I fished through the black hole I called a purse searching for the source of the buzzing noise. _Aha!_ I found it the deepest reaches of the cavernous thing.

Amongst all the missed calls, I found a new text message from an unknown number.

Unknown#: [ _Hi beautiful, Seth gave me your #. Car is done come by anytime_ ]

Aw that must be Jake, I thought as I saved the number in to my contact list. I looked at the clock, 12:30pm, only three hours left. I couldn't wait to go see my car, and more importantly Jacob. As the day went on it seemed like the hours dragged with a sole purpose to torture me.

At last the final bell rang with the sweet sound of freedom and I proceeded to usher the kids quickly outside for parental pickup. Sam has been coming around regularly to pick up Jamie, but he doesn't usually approach me to start a conversation. I'm completely grateful for this because seeing him still brings back some painful feelings or betrayal and loss. However, seeing him on a regular basis is helping me get desensitized to his presence.

Jamie broke free of my little group of students and my eyes followed him down the sloped hill to a delicate figure standing on the sidewalk. Her hair covered the side of her face and her shoulders bounced in laughter from the lively way Jamie spoke to her. She knelt down to his level and he threw his arms around her neck exposing her face. Emily, she smiled happily at her son and handed him a small blue envelope. He jumped up and down cheerfully and dragged his mom in my direction. _Oh crap!_

Emily kept her eyes low until we were face to face. I haven't spoken to her since she called me to invite me to the wedding, which I obviously _didn't_ attend. That conversation replayed in my head as I watched her approach. I remember yelling, crying, her apologizing, me swearing, her pleading and apologizing some more. She smiled shyly at me as Jamie threw himself in my direction.

"Ms. Leah! Ms. Leah! You're invited!" Jamie ran up to me handing me the envelope. I opened it as carefully as one opens a potentially deadly anthrax laced piece of mail, but instead of white powder and a death threat I pulled out a colorful card.

"You're invited to Jamie's birthday…." My voice trailed as I read the invitation and looked at Emily who was smiling at me. Is it wrong that I still had the urge to punch her square in the face? She got everything, Sam, a wedding, a house and then Jamie. All because of her back stabbing ways.

"Are you going to come Ms. Leah?" Jamie asked eagerly. I looked down at him and smiled weakly in response to his bright-eyed look.

"I will try to come but I can't make any promises Jamie." His smile faltered a little at my words and I almost promised him to come in that instant.

"Okay, Ms. Leah, but try _really_ hard." Jamie said with determination, that made me chuckle.

"Okay Jamie, I promise to try _really_ hard." He gave me a quick hug and made his was back to Emily. She mouthed 'thank you' my way and turned around with Jamie hand in hand.

That familiar painful pressure gathered in my chest, crushing my heart. I hated her. Hate is such a strong word, but it was the only one that fit the description of my feelings for her. Seeing her after all these years made me mournful and I longed for the times when I use to call her my friend. I use to love her like a sister.

This whole encounter put a damper on my happy mood. With a great sigh I turned and made my way to Jacob's shop to pick up my car. Hopefully he could make my day better.

* * *

Seth drove me to work today so I texted him to let him know that I didn't need a ride home since the car was finished. I made my way up the road and grew increasingly excited as the shop came into view.

Once again, music blared as I walked into the shop and I could hear Embry's off key singing. This time I didn't want any accidents so I approached him at an angle from which he could see me coming. He looked up at me and looked back down to the car part he was working on.

"Jacob stepped out; you can wait in the office for him if you want." Embry said coldly without making eye contact. I was caught by surprise by his tone and stopped mid stride about to turn around to walk back to the office, but something nagged at me to stay.

"Are you okay Embry?" He stood up again, wiping his greasy hands on a rag he took off the work bench. He assessed me with his gaze, trying to decipher if my concern was genuine.

"I'm fine" He lied.

"Let me look at that cut of yours. How is it healing?" I stepped forward but he took a step back hesitantly.

"It's fine, don't worry about it."

"Don't be a baby, I have no stinging liquid in my hand. I promise I won't hurt you." I said kindly as I smiled. It worked because he sighed heavily in defeat and lowered his head to give me a better view. I ran my fingers delicately through his hair looking for the healing wound but I couldn't find any trace of it.

"Wow, you healed so well I can't even find it." I said in astonishment.

"Probably it's because I had a very skillful nurse who patched me up." I laughed in response as I took note of how great his silky short hair felt in between my fingers. I ran my fingers through the front of his hair where the cut was, this time not looking for a scar, just admiring his hair. "Ahem, are you done with your inspection?"

"Oh yah, umm sorry, it's just so soft, I mean, it's amazing, yah…the cut, amazing how quickly it healed. It's as if you have some super human healing powers." He laughed at my tongue tied reply as I tried to keep cool, but blushed severely with no end in sight. Embry lifted his head back up and his huge frame towered over me. I looked up to meet his eyes after trying to calm my blushing. He looked deeply into my eyes, searching like he did the last time we were this close.

"Are you okay Leah?" he asked as if he found the pain I've been pushing aside since my meeting with Emily.

"Sure, I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" It was my turn to lie, but I don't think he was convinced because he grimaced at me in disapproval.

"You're a bad liar Leah." He stated flatly.

"Oh, you should talk!" I defended.

"Hey now, no need to be hostile princess, you need to calm down because you're going to make me nervous. There are way too many tools for you to hurt me with in this shop." He joked and it prompted me to laugh lightly in response, but it disappeared quickly.

"I saw Emily today." I don't even know why I told him. Maybe it was the look of genuine concern in his eyes. He looked at me sympathetically and without notice, pulled me into a crushing hug. I resisted at first, until I noticed how warm he was. It felt really… nice.

He held the hug and I gave in, relaxing my shoulders, letting his warmth envelope me as the pain of my encounter with Emily melted away. I bravely wrapped my arms around his waist returning the hugs and he chuckled lightly. If his hug made me feel better, maybe this will help him feel better too I thought. I concentrated on the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed softly on my neck. His hand slowly rubbed warm circled in the center of my back and I pulled him tighter into the hug in response as a smile crept up across my lips.

We heard footsteps behind us and jumped away from each other with guilty looks on our face. Turning in the direction of the door I saw Jacob looking at us with a raised eyebrow. We stood there quietly for an unknown amount of time like children who got caught eating sweets before dinner.

"Okay, this is weird" Jacob finally spoke. "Embry, can I talk to you in the office?" He said calmly but I could see that his hands were balled into fists. Shit, what did I do!?... Wait, technically I didn't do anything really… Embry is the one that hugged me. It was a hug, it's not like I made out with him on the hood of a car and there really wasn't anything romantic about the hug, right?

Curiously, I walked closer to the closed door of the office and I was able to hear them talking.

_***Behind closed door***_

"_What's up Jake?" Embry's voice was light and casual._

"_You tell me Embry? What's going with you and Leah?" I can almost picture Jacob's grim look._

"_You have to be kidding?_Me?_ And _Leah?_ Not a chance" He laughed it off as a ridicules notion. Like the idea of him and I was absurd. _Ouch.

"_Well it's the second time I walked in on you guys having some kind of _moment_. So what am I suppose to think? You know how I feel about her, last thing I need is to have her stolen from me from right under my nose, by my best friend of all people!"_

"_Hey, calm down, I told you, I'm not interested, she's not my type." Embry's voice faltered a bit on that last part but the message was loud and clear. Why wasn't I his 'type' I wondered._

"_So why were you hugging her just now?"_

"_She looked like she was about to cry, what was I supposed to do?"_

"_Keep your hands off of her, for one." Jacob hissed._

"_Jake, stop acting like this, I'm your best friend, I wouldn't do that to you. You've been in my head, you know I'm not interested in her and there is nothing going on, okay?" Embry was beginning to sound defensive, but what did he mean when he said 'you've been in my head'? That was weird._

"_Fine. I trust you, you've never given me a reason to doubt you." He said after a moment of silence. I turned around and made my way back to where I was originally standing. _

The two of them walked out of the office, smiling. Embry led the way as Jacob followed, putting a hand on Embry's massive shoulder. So it looked like everything got settled.

* * *

**NEXT CHAPTER:** Leah has to decide if she's going to the birthday party, and there will be a face in town.

**A/N: ** Hope you liked the chapter! Let me know how it was. As always,_ Thank you for reading and reviewing!!!!_


	9. Chapter 9

******Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.  
**

******A/N: **Sorry for being away this whole week, but I've been sick and my brain hurt too much to write. Thank you to Supernaturallysweet, o0FLAM3S0o, moonlit-summer-night, tdfireproof, hilja, JoJoSoPo, bvc17 and hgmsnoopy for being awesome and reviewing!! The story is up to 2,100 hits!!!! That 500 hits since last chapter which is super awesome.

So by now you must have noticed that I love giving shout-outs at the beginning of the chapters to my reviewers. Today, I have some additional shout-outs to add. I want to thanks everyone who's reading but since i don't know you by name I'll give out shout-outs by country!

Thanks to everyone reading in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Germany, Virgin Islands, Sweden, Romania, Ireland, Hungry, Slovenia, Switzerland, India, South Africa, Costa Rica, Norway, Spain, Philippines, France, Singapore, Guatemala, Venezuela and Denmark. (In order of most hits)

**That was fun but now it's time for another chapter.**

* * *

_I know a guy who's tough but sweet  
He's so fine, he can't be beat  
He's got everything that I desire  
Sets the summer sun on fire_  
I want candy by Bow Wow Wow

* * *

**Leah POV**

"Hi" Jacob said shyly, as Embry went back to his work. I started to apologize because he just looked so vulnerable and hurt in that moment, but he cut me off almost instantly.

"Jake I'm sorr"

"Shhh, it's okay Leah, please, you don't have to explain anything, _I'm_ the one that's sorry."

"What? No." I protested but he just shook his head and gently placed his hands on my shoulders, lowering his eyes to my level.

"Yes, I shouldn't have assumed anything. Now tell me what's going on, why do you look so sad?" I was completely caught off guard by his reaction. _He's so sweet!_ I thought to myself, even though I knew that Embry is the one who realized that I was sad and told Jake about it. I looked at Embry who met my look for a fraction of a second, just long enough to give me his standard annoying smirk, then turned his concentration back to his work and turned up the radio.

"Umm,.. why don't we go somewhere else to talk?" I suggested, because I didn't want an audience, so we walked to the office. Jacob sat down on the chair while I stood leaning against the table. His forehead creased and his warm brown eyes looked up at me pleadingly for me to open up to him. I felt his concern in that moment and couldn't resist. I told him about the day's events, describing in detail my encounter with Emily and how it made me feel. I could see his caring expression turn sour when I told him how much pain the whole run in caused me.

"That's just fucken cruel" He stated flatly which surprised me because I have never heard anyone react like that to anything remotely directed towards Emily.

But I didn't tell him this to anger him; I wanted to see that sweet caring look on his face again, so I reached out to touch his face with my hand in comfort. He cupped my hand with his and the expression on his face softened almost immediately. Jacob closed his eyes and pressed my hand into his cheek, then turned his head to bring his lips to the inside on my palm kissing it lightly. My heart raced at the show of affection. I would have never guessed that he was like this.

Next, he kissed my wrist delicately, and placed a third kiss few inches higher on the forearm of my outstretched arm. He stood up in one slow and steady movement delicately entrapping me between his warm body and the table, pressing against me. For some reason I felt the need to say something in that moment to deafen the sound of my heart racing, not wanting him to hear it.

"Jake, I just.." I started to say but couldn't find the words as all my senses were enveloped by him. He captured my lips between his before I was able to let out another word, running his hands up my sides to the center of my back. My hands slowly inched up his arms, to his neck, as we became locked in the most amazing kiss. I didn't think that anything could beat our first kiss but I was extremely wrong. His lips felt like silk as they moved in perfect pace with mine.

Whatever I was worried about was long forgotten as our kiss grew from comforting and gentle to more urgent. I swear I would have melted to the floor if that table wasn't behind me. But there is only so much a girl could take, and the lack of oxygen was finally catching up with us. We parted lips unwillingly and only out of necessity, as my heart continued to race. Jacob held his forehead to mine as he breathed in deep to satisfy his own need to air. I felt a smile creep across my lips as Jacob traced his thumb across my cheek.

"I love to watch you smile" he said quietly, which only made me smile all the wider.

"So about that birthday party…" this time the topic didn't bother me as much because I was in the safety of his arms.

"You don't have to go, but if you want to I will go with you. I was invited too." I nodded in agreement.

"I'm going to go. I'll be fine as long as you're there." His face lit up at my words.

"I won't leave your side." He promised.

* * *

**Embry POV**

I almost told him everything, but what kind of a friend would I be if I did? Seeing Jacob finally happy lifted a weight off my shoulders that I have been carrying for years, ever since that idiotic Bella decided to jump off of a cliff and go swimming during a swell before a storm. It was incredible how quickly Leah washed away Jacob's remaining grief. I couldn't take that away from him and it wouldn't really matter if I wanted to because I never stood a chance against him anyway. Leah didn't see me like that, she never did and _never_ will. I'm invisible to her and the only rise I can get out of her is if I piss her off in some way.

So I did the only thing I could do in this situation… I lied. Lied through my teeth, like my life depended on it. Maybe it did, because I didn't want to know what Jacob would say or do if I told him the truth. But being so close to her felt so good. She fit so perfectly in my arms and her sweet and delicate scent made me want to hold her like that forever. _I really need to snap out of it!

* * *

_

**Leah POV**

There is only one thing I dislike about my job and that's staff meetings… _early morning_ staff meetings to be exact. I have enough trouble getting out of bed at my regular time, but it's almost impossible to get up an hour earlier. Thankfully they don't happen often and this time I didn't need to get a ride from _Mr._ Seth _Sunshin_e because I have my car back. I dragged my feet as I made my way to the kitchen to eat my breakfast. To my surprise my mom was already up as well.

"'Morning mom, why are you up so early?"

"Hi honey, I have an early shift at the hospital. Glad you're up though, I've been meaning to ask you… are you going to Jamie's birthday?"

"How did you know I was invited?"

"Seth told me" she said casually shrugging her shoulders "and before you ask… Sam told him, when he invited Seth and I to the party as well."

"Oh, so are you going?"

"Yes."

"Me too."

"With Jacob?" She said wiggling her eyebrows up and down and I rolled my eyes at her.

"Yes mom, with Jacob" I said in mock defeat.

"That's nice dear" mom said as she smiled to herself while making her lunch.

After eating my bagel I swiftly made my way to the school. Surprisingly, the car was a lot quieter now that Jacob had fixed it. It didn't end up waking up the whole neighborhood when I turned it on, which was a disappointment. I would have enjoyed the thought of knowing that I wasn't the only person up at this ungodly hour.

Once in the staff room, I made a bee line straight for the coffeemaker, and poured myself a cup. Taking my customary seat in the corner at the back of the room, I survey the scene and found that the rest of the staff looked more like zombies rather then teachers. _This should be a fun day_, I thought sarcastically. Our ever-peppy principal, Joyce, took her place at the head of the room and about a dozen groggy blank stares turned in her direction.

"Good morning everyone!" Joyce said with the enthusiasm of a pre-teen cheerleader. The small crowd returned her greeting with a barely audible response. "Oh, come on people! It's not that early." Joyce protested but no one responded. She shrugged her shoulders in defeat and proceeded with the meeting.

"As you know, we will be hosting the big Halloween party this year. Everyone from La Push will be invited and I need a few volunteers to help on the decorating committee. Mrs. Jones has already volunteered, but I need at least one or two more people." Her eyes scanned the room as everyone tried to duck lower in their seats and avoid eye contact. I stared at my coffee cup hoping that my strategic location in the corner of the room would help me stay invisible.

"Leah! How perfect, Leah would you like to join the decorating committee?" _Dammit'_, I just knew she would pick me. I sighed and finally looked up with a half smile.

"Sure Joyce, I can help." Joyce beamed with delight at my response. Her smile was infectious and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Perfect! Thank you Leah. Next on the agenda, we have a new substitute teacher who will be taking over Mr. Thompson's grade four class for a few months while he is on leave. Ms. Lilly please come up here so that I may introduce you properly." Everyone was awake now, curious to see who this new teacher was.

A slender girl stood up from her seat in the opposite corner of the room. She had dark wavy hair that extended down beyond her shoulders and pale skin. She walked up shyly to the front of the room and awkwardly waved hello to the now interested audience. She looked so familiar but I couldn't figure out where I have seen her before. _Maybe in teacher's college?_ I thought to myself.

"Now Ms. Lilly why don't you tell everyone a little about yourself." The new teacher put on a pained smile and gave us a short version or her life story. I turns out that we didn't go to teacher's college together. But I still had a feeling that I've seen her before, her face looked so familiar. Once she was done Joyce took over.

"Thank you Ms. Lilly." The new teacher scurried her way back to her seat but not before Joyce singled her out once more. "Oh Ms. Lilly, I have a wonderful idea, why don't you join the decorating committee? It will be a great way to get yourself involved and you will get to work closely with some of the other teachers." It looked like she wanted to decline the offer but Joyce's smile won her over.

"Sure, that sounds great." She gave Joyce a tight smile back and sank back into her chair.

"Excellent. Well that's all for today, but can I have all the decorating committee members meet with me at lunch time? We need to get things started as soon as possible." I groaned internally as I pick myself up and dragged myself to my classroom.

* * *

**Next Chapter: **Why does the new teacher look so familiar to Leah? And what will happen at Jamie's birthday party? Find out next chapter.

**A/N** Thanks for reading!!!! Hope you enjoyed that. _Please review and let me know what you liked or disliked. Thanks!!_


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.**

**A/N:**Thank you to o0FLAM3S0o, bvc17, tdfireproof, hgmsnoopy, hilja, TaylorLautnerLover1, Supernaturallysweet and Lauren for being awesome and reviewing!

Just to reiterate, Leah has not phased in this story, but the rest of the guys _have_. Bella is dead, she jumped off the cliff and Jacob didn't come in time to save her. The Cullen's never returned after Bella's death. There is no immediate vampire threat and that's why they aren't running around as wolves. Leah is not in on the werewolf pack secret.

**** I posted pictures of what I see these characters looking like **** Go visit my profile to see who my Jacob, Embry, Leah, Sophie and Ms. Lilly are! **

I have to advertise this story because it kept me reading into the early hours of the morning on many occasions. If youre looking for a good **Callwater** FanFic go read **tdfireproof**'s  
_**Some day the dream will end**_ (id:4793572), then read the sequel _**The first day without a sun**_ (id:4820495) and then _**What Fate took from Embry**_(id:5364592)  
This story is angsty, painful, and sweet all at the same time. GO CHECK IT OUT! (after you read this next chapter of course)

* * *

_I'll be around_  
_Only if you want me to_  
_Be there by your side_  
_I'm ready for you_  
_So don't be afraid_  
_Cause I know what you're going through_  
_So when you think it's time_  
_I'm ready for you_

Ready for you by Hoobastank

* * *

**LEAH POV**

How do you dress for a kid's birthday party? I sat on my bed looking in defeat at the numerous articles of clothing strewn across the floor. I heard a knock on the door and I snapped out of my helpless stare.

"Hi honey, you ready?" mom said as she popped her head into my room.

"Not even close", shaking my head hopelessly.

"It's just a kid's birthday party dear." She stated a fact I was already aware of, but Jacob will be there and it was my first event since I returned. The happy couple, Sam and Emily, will be there and I don't want to look like the broken ex-girlfriend. I needed to look good but not too good, not like I'm trying to look good.

"I'll be down in a minute mom." I said with a sigh. I finally found a nice black blouse that was loose at the top and fitted around the hips and a pair of dark fitted jeans. _This will have to do,_ I thought to myself. I grabbed Jamie's present and headed downstairs.

"Hi, wow, Leah you look great." Jacob said as he stared me up and down, prompting Seth to elbow him swiftly in the ribs. "Ouch, Seth?!" he hissed. "Sorry I hope you don't mind, if I catch a ride with you?" I skipped down the stairs, ignoring Seth's rolling eyes, and kissed Jacob on the cheek. Seth gagged and mom gave him a swift smack across the back of the head with her evil 'behave or _else_' look.

"So where does the great protector of La Push reside? Did the elders build him a castle on the hill?" I said sarcastically as we piled into the car.

"Actually, the whole pack pulled together and built him and Emily a house right before their wedding, it's right next door to where his mom lives." Seth replied immediately.

"Pack?" I heard a rustling in the backseat and I could have sworn Jacob called Seth an idiot.

"Yah, umm… pack, like a pack of brothers, friends, buddies…. Me and the guys." He explained in a shaky voice.

"Oh, so you _do_ know how to use tools?" I said glaring at him in the rearview mirror.

"Yah, of course I do. Why?"

"Maybe you should take a look at the house in the daylight…tell me if you see anything that needs fixing. You know that dad would have never let the house get to this state of decay." Seth looked down, not wanting to meet my glare.

"I'll look into it sis. Sorry" Seth said quietly, and I almost felt bad for a second. But really, if he can build a house for_ King_ Sam, then he can take a weekend or two to do some work around the house his father built. So there was nothing left to say.

We arrived at our destination and I could feel my stomach turning in nausea as I looked upon the perfect little house. I turned off the car and everyone piled out except for me. I sat there staring at the warm glow emanating from the windows and the party lights hanging on the side of the house where a crowd of children were running around chasing each other. A sharp tap on the car window broke my silent wallowing, and a tight smile stretched across my face as I looked upon Jacob.

"Are you coming beautiful?" I nodded and got out of the car. He immediately wrapped me in a warm hug pressing his lips to my forehead in a kiss and whispered in to my ear. "I know this is going to be hard, but you'll be fine, I won't leave your side. You can do this Leah; you're strong enough to face them." His words of encouragement helped me gain contol. He let me go and took my hand as we both stood in the front yard looking at the house for a moment. "Okay Leah, deep breath," and I did as he instructed, "okay let's go."

We entered the small house and found that there were people everywhere. Seth, Quil, Embry, Jared and Paul were congregating in the kitchen near a table of food. So the kitchen was our first stop.

"Hey guys, how's the party?" Jacob said as he entered the kitchen and I shyly followed. Everyone at the table looked up and gave us a knowing nod.

"Well look who my little brother found? Princess Leah" Paul said dramatically and Jacob glared at him for singling me out.

"First, I'm _not_ your little brother. I will be your brother _in-law_, and that was definitely not a decision that Rachel consulted me on. Second, lay off her Paul. She doesn't need any of your shit today. You'd don't want Rachel to hear about this, do you?" Jacob said with a dominant look while Paul wiped the cocky smile off of his face and sat back down.

Rachel and Paul, _engaged_, I would have never guessed that in a million years. Paul teased her so much when we were in school, especially for her braces. I guess you never know how things will turn out. As if on queue, Rachel walked in to the kitchen, passed Jacob, and wrapped her arms around Paul's neck. Rachel looked around at all the guys who were still looking at Jacob and I. She followed their stare. Her eyes lit up in recognition as she looked at me, and squealed in delight.

"Oh my _god_, Leah! You're here, you're back!" She bounced my way and hugged me with more strength then I expected from someone her size. "Oh my God! So I heard rumors that you were coming back and then my dad said something about Jacob going to see you last Saturday and now here you are!" Thank god she finished that sentence in that second because the pitch of her voice was climbing to an unbearable height.

"Yup, I'm back. I'm Jamie's teacher actually." I said coolly hoping that she would mimic my calmness.

"Aww, isn't he the cutest. Sam and Emily are really lucky to have such a sweet little boy." She gushed and that feeling of nausea started creeping back into my stomach. Just the thought of them together made me ill.

"Rachel!" Jacob hissed behind me and her eyes opened widely when she remembered that Sam and Emily were not a good topic of conversation with me.

"Oh I'm sorry, I just…" she trailed off as Jacob approached her and whispered something in her ear. Her face suddenly darkened and she turned to glare at Paul. "Oh honey, I think we need to talk."

"Aw babe I didn't mean it, I was just having some fun." Paul whined as he got out of his chair and made his way to Rachel's side.

"Thanks _a lot_ little brother!" Paul sneered and obediently followed Rachel out of the kitchen as the rest of the guys snickered. I looked around the table again at all the amused faces and stopped at Embry's. He looked up at me from below his brow with a shy half-smile, and not his usual annoying smirk. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Hey beautiful, how 'bout we check out the rest of the party and maybe find the birthday boy?" Jacob whispered in my ear as he snaked his warm hands around my waist and resting his chin on my shouldered. Embry's smile faded and he looked away uninterested. _Why does he do that?_ Frustrated with Embry, I turned around and nodded in agreement to Jacob's proposal.

I spotted my mom talking to a crowd of women across the living room. She smiled at me and I waved to her, but her smile suddenly sank and so did mine as my eyes followed hers to the person approaching me. I squeezed Jacob's hand and considered turning the other way, but he comfortingly put his hand on my shoulder. Smiling Emily was headed straight for me and there was no way of escaping.

"Hi Leah" she said sweetly, "I'm so happy that you are here." At this point I figured I had three options. One, be a bitch, it's not like she didn't deserve it! Two, fake nice and pretend that I don't want to slap her. Three, be civil but don't act like everything is hunky-dory. I fought my natural urge to be a bitch, and there was no way I could act like we were best friends, so number three was the only option I had left.

"Emily, thank you for inviting me, I'm glad to be here, _for Jamie_. I can't hold anything against him and that's the only reason why I'm here. This doesn't mean that everything is right between us again, but I will be civil. So if there is anything you ever need to talk about in regards to Jamie; how he's doing in school, his homework, his grades, I'll be happy to discuss that with you. But, us, talking like we are friends without a painful past… that's not going to happen, I'm not ready for that yet." _There! I said it!_ I thought to myself proudly.

"I understand Leah… I can't begin to explain how sorry I am but I guess this isn't the time or place for that conversation. Thank you for coming, for Jamie's sake, I know he thinks the world of you." _Dammit', why does she have to be so nice!_

"Can you point us in the direction were we might find this _elusive_little creature, called _Jamie the birthday boy_" Jacob interrupted, adding some desperately need comedic relief to the moment. We both laughed and Emily pointed us in the direction of the backyard. "Thanks" Jacob said as we moved towards the back porch. We got out the back door and Jacob spun me around and lifted me off the ground in a hug.

"Wow Leah, do you realize what you just did?!" He said happily.

"Ahuh" was all I managed to choke out. _Damn these boys have to learn their strength!_ Jacob must have heard the strain in my voice because he put me down almost immediately with an apologetic look. "Thanks Jake, I really needed someone to stand by my side tonight. I really appreciate it I reached up and kissed him on the cheek. Besides being an awesome kisser, Jacob really surprised me with how attentive and supportive he could be. He was a good friend.

"Ewwww, girls have coodies" we turned to see a little boy scrunching his face in disgust and we both laughed in response.

"Ms. Leah! You came!" Jamie ran to us with a bright-eyed look "I knew you would come! Because you said you would try _really hard_, you promised and you came!" _He could possibly be the sweetest kid ever!_ I thought to myself and I was very happy that I chose to come because the smile on this boy's face could light up the world. I didn't miss the fact that his smile was just like his father's use to smile at me like that… I felt a bit of pain at that thought and my smile faltered a bit. But a second after Jamie collided with me and jumped into my open arms, sending back to the present moment. I caught Jamie and lifted him in a hug.

"Happy birthday little man. How's your party going? Are you having fun?"

"Ahuh, yup I am. We played hide and seek, tag, and there was a piñata!" Jamie gave us a complete breakdown of what happened at the party so far, all with unending enthusiasm, as we laugh in response to his animated recount of the day. I gave Jamie his present and like a good little boy he ran inside to put it on the gift table until it was time to open presents. With a sigh I leaned back against the porch railing enjoying the crisp fall evening air. I felt the tension in my body being released with every breath. I've been working myself up to this point, but it was easier than I thought it would be. Not that I wanted to do this again, but still….

Jacob moved closer, resting his warm hands on my hips, he kissed my forehead and smiled down at me.

"I think tonight went well" he said gladly and I agreed with a nod, smiling back at him. "Actually, you didn't face Sam yet…" Jacob's forehead creased with worry.

"I won't have to deal with him." I stated confidently, prompting Jacob to raise his eyebrow in curiosity.

"Oh really?"

"Mhmm, we have a silent agreement… and understanding of sorts. I'll talk to him when I'm ready and he's not going to push it anymore." Jacob looked unconvinced. "It's something I think he came to realize after trying to repeatedly to talk to me after school when he was picking up Jamie."

"Oh, but you never said that he was still bothering you."

"Being depressive and unapproachable isn't very attractive, now is it? I don't want to burden you with my feelings all the time. I'm a girl Jake, we have lots of _crazy_ and unexplainable feelings, which most men don't want to hear about." I said jokingly, but I meant what I said.

"Look Leah, I know what it's like to be sad and I know how it is to lose someone. So don't ever hold it in, not for my sake, because it will eat you from the inside out. If you need to talk I will listen." At those words I pulled him closer and wrapped my arms around his waist. _How else was I suppose to respond to that?_ We stayed like that for a little longer, until we heard kids screaming inside about ice-cream.

"I think I'm going to go home Jake. Mom and Seth have a way home and they are going to be staying for a bit longer, but I'm tired."

"Okay, I should stay longer too, but you're right you need rest for sure." He swept my bangs out of my eyes and lowered his lips to mine. This kiss was different then the last, it was shorter but it was even sweeter. I don't know how he does it but my heart melted.

_Monday at school_

Joyce was really serious about this Halloween party and we were going all out. There was going to be a DJ and a band. One of the larger classrooms was being turned into a haunted maze and she had hired some people to do the construction portion of each project.

After the bell rang, I ushered the kids out to the front of the school for pick up and then made my way to the gym to meet the rest of the committee. I found Ms. Lilly standing by the gym doors, her head was down and she was playing with the hem of her cardigan. She looked up and smiled at me as I approached.

"Hi, I'm Leah. Lilly right?" I introduced myself. Since she arrived, I have not seen her around the school. I guess she's been eating her lunch in her classroom.

"Hi, it's Katherine, Kat for short. Lilly is my last name." she corrected me politely.

"Oh sorry, I thought Joyce called you Ms. Lilly because you had some super hard last name that the kids wouldn't know how to pronounce, kind of like mine. Not that Clearwater is particularly hard but you'd be surprised how many six year-olds get it wrong. So all the kids call me Ms. Leah…" I stopped realizing that I was rambling, but Katherine was well-mannered and didn't interrupt, she even looked kind of interested. _She must be desperate for a friend._

"Is it always this dreary here? I don't think I've seen the sun since I got here." Katherine frowned as she looked to the window down the hall.

"Yup, this is pretty much what you can expect, until the snow comes that is…"

"Great" She said sarcastically and I chuckled.

"Where are you from again?" I remember she said something about being originally from Washington State but my brain wasn't fully charged at the morning meeting when she was introduced.

"Originally from Tacoma, which is just south of Seattle. But I've been living in San Francisco for the last few years, while I was in school."

"Well that explains why you're not use to our cloudy weather. What brought you here to La Push?" I know I was starting to sound more like an interrogator but there was something familiar looking about this girl and I was hoping I could find out what it was during this question period.

"My uncle, Chief Swan put in a good word for me at the school. You probably already know how hard it is to find a placement fresh out of school. Besides, my mom thought he was starting to get lonely again, he misses his daughter Bella a lot still." It's like a light bulb went on in my head! Bella! That's who this girl reminds me of… Bella, that pale, weird girl that was friends with Jacob. So Katherine is Bella's cousin_. It's a small world after all._

"Yah I know Chief Swan, he was best friends with my dad Harry, before he passed away" Katherine's face lit up in recognition.

"He actually mentioned someone named Harry before, must have been you're dad." A loud crash from inside the gym made us both jump. I clutched my heart and looked at Katherine who wore the same look on her face that I probably did.

"Why don't we go inside and see what's going on in there. Maybe Joyce went in through the other door and she's already redecorating the place without us." We both laughed and proceeded to make our way into the gym.

"Leah!" I met a smiling Embry as I walked through the door.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I said, confused as to why he was in the gym.

"Jacob and I volunteered to do some of the construction stuff for the Halloween party." He said more cheerfully than usual. I heard the door close behind me and remembered that Katherine was with me.

"That's nice of you guys, looks like we will be working together." His smile widened and I wish in that moment that he would smile like that more often. "Hey, I want you to meet someone." I stepped aside and revealing Katherine. "This is Katherine Lilly, she's a substitute teacher at the school and she will also be working with us on the decorations."

"Cool, nice to meet you Katherine, I'm Embry. Oh and here's Jacob." Embry turned to Jacob as he turned the corner. "Jake this is Katherine." Jacob gave me a wink as he came closer making me blush, but then he froze in place when he looked at Katherine. His smile faded and he just stood there staring at her with his mouth slightly hanging.

I've seen this look before! This is how Sam looked at Emily the first time he saw her.

* * *

**Next Chapter:**Find out what happened next in the gym with Jacob and Katherine.

**A/N** Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed that. _Please review and let me know what you liked or disliked. Thanks!_


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.

**A/N: **Thank you to bvc17, o0FLAM3S0o, hilja, hgmsnoopy, milets, tdfireproof, TaylorLautnerLover1, fda, and Supernaturallysweet for being awesome and reviewing!!

Just in case you missed it last time,...**I posted pictures** of what I see these characters looking like. **Go visit my profile **to see who my Jacob, Embry, Leah, Sophie and Katherine are!

* * *

_Love hurts..._  
_But sometimes it's a good hurt_  
_And it feels like I'm alive._  
_Love sings,_  
_When it transcends the bad things._  
_Have a heart and try me,_  
_'cause without love I won't survive._

Love Hurts by Incubus

* * *

**JACOB POV**

_Wow_

That's all I could think when I looked at her. It was like seeing a ghost. The resemblance was breathtaking and unbelievable. The only thing different were her eyes, unlike Bella's, Katherine's eyes were a sapphire blue, and she looked older, the way Bella would have looked if she was still alive. Her eyes were her most striking feature as they stood out against her pale porcelain skin. I stood there gawking at her, my mouth gaping, with no consideration for my behaviour or manners. Embry said something undistinguishable next to me but I made no move to acknowledge his words. The thing that brought me back to reality was Leah. She tilted her head into my line of vision with a confused look on her face.

"Jake are you okay?" Leah said with concern in her voice. Embry nudged me in the side again.

"Yah,… umm… sorry, yah I'm good. Sorry. Hi Katherine, I'm Jacob." I said, still a little dazed, and then looked over at Leah who was staring at me with an unimpressed look on her face. She shifted her weight to her right hip and crossed her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm glad you all met." Joyce said as she burst into the gym. "I need to speak to you two ladies first and then I'll bring you two into the loop." She said to Embry and I.

"Let's go Jake, we need to talk." Embry hissed and pulled me over to the side. "_Please_ tell me you didn't just imprint on the new girl."

"I didn't." I answered as I looked over his shoulder toward where the girls were standing. Embry looked over his shoulder and then back to me.

"You're lying! Jake tell the truth, I'll know it once I'm in your head when we phase next time, so just tell the truth."

"I swear on my life Embry, I didn't imprint." I said firmly, looking him in the eye, but then I dropped my eyes to the floor. "I just… she looks like her Embry. Just like Bella. I was just shocked, that's all. It was like seeing a ghost." Embry breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed his temples, as if he was getting a migraine. "Are you ok Embry?"

"Yah I'm fine. It's all good. For a second I thought you were a dead man."

"Dead man?"

"Yah, Seth and Sam would rip you to pieces if you hurt Leah, you know that right?"

"It won't ever come to that. I won't hurt her."

"You say that now man, but you're an unimprinted wolf Jacob. You never know." His concern was unnecessary. I would never do that to Leah.

"Don't worry so much Embry. I got this." I said confidently, but all Embry did was shake his head.

"Oh boys! Please come over here." Joyce called. Leah kept her eyes averted as we approached but it didn't deter me. I walked over to her and snaked one arm around her waist as I stood beside her. Joyce talked to us about the decorations and I pretended to listened to her without input, hoping that Embry would catch her instruction. I felt Leah's muscles tense by my side and I looked down at her thinking she was staring up at me but she wasn't. She looked across the circle to Katherine who was looking at _me_. Katherine gave me a small half smile, just like Bella use to. I stared back at her in awe. "Did you get all that Mr. Black?" Joyce's question caught my attention again.

"Yes ma'am I did.... Embry did you?" Embry nodded quietly and I knew he had all the instruction embedded in his head.

"Excellent, then I'll leave you four to make your plans. Leah, please give me an update as soon as you have a timeline decided." _Geez, this women is treating this like war preparations_, I thought to myself. Joyce walked out of the gym and Leah wasted no time to move out of my reach. I noticed Embry had pulled Katherine to the side and they were working on a sketch.

"Leah. Where are you going?" She turned around and looked at me expressionlessly. "What's the matter beautiful?"

"Let me guess Jacob, love at first sight?" Her expression darkened and her voice turned venomous.

"What? NO, no, of course not! I was just shocked. Do you know who she looks like?" Her expression didn't soften.

"Yes, I do. It's probably because she's Bella's cousin."

"Oh, well that explains it." I moved forward to take her in my arms. I just wanted to hold her, then everything will be good again and she wouldn't be mad at me for _no reason_. She watched me approach but once I got close enough to touch her she put her arm out in front of her and pressed against the center of my chest.

"Please don't Jacob, not right now. I don't know what just happened with you and I need a moment." The pain in her eyes was evident and I couldn't have her looking at me like that. I tilted her chin up to look straight into her beautiful eyes.

"Leah, I swear on my life, my feelings for you have not faltered. You have nothing to worry about. You're very special to me, I like you a lot and I won't hurt you like that." The hand she had in the centre of my chest fell to her side and I took that opportunity to close the remaining distance between us. Her head rested against my chest as I wrapped my arms around her delicate frame and pressed my lips to the top of her head. She sighed deeply in relief and wrapped her arms around my waist returning the embrace. We stood like that for another moment until she spoke.

"Maybe we should go over there and help them out with the plans" Leah suggested softly. I kissed her temple relinquished my grasp. She threaded her fingers through mine and we walked over to join Katherine and Embry in their discussion about the decorations.

The rest of the afternoon passed effortlessly and we all seemed to fall into the decorating plans. Embry and I measured out the areas we needed to build in and took note of the type of materials we would need. Before we knew it, it was getting late and it was time for all of us to head out.

"Jacob do you need a ride home?" Leah asked, now smiling at me again.

"Actually, I have a car today and I need to go back to the shop. I think Embry might need a ride." She nodded and walked over to talk to Embry. I looked over to my left and noticed a pair of the bluest eyes I've ever seen, looking my way.

"Do you have a way home Katherine?" I asked out of politeness. She nodded and smiled.

"So Embry mentioned that you two are car mechanics. Would you mind if I brought my car in for you to do some maintenance on it? Uncle Charlie, sorry, I mean Chief Swan, keeps promising that he will look at it for me, but he's always busy."

"Yah, that's no problem, I'm sure either Embry or I would have some time to look at it. Bring it by anytime. We're just down the street." She smiled widely and me, the way Bella use to. I felt tightness in my chest, but I couldn't discern if it was good or bad. It could have been grief, but at the same time it could have just been excitement for seeing that smile again. I can't even begin to explain how many times I wished to see it, and all of a sudden it was here again.

"Hey Jake! I'm going to catch a ride with Leah. Is that cool?" Embry called out to me and I tore my eyes away from Katherine's smiling face.

"Yah that's cool man. I'll see you tomorrow."

Leah returned to my side and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me down to meet her awaiting lips. The kiss was short but far from sweet, she wasted no time to part my lips with her tongue and I responded to her enthusiastically. But it lasted only for a moment, because as quickly as she came on to me, she retracted her advances, smiling wickedly at me.

"That was evil." Her smile told me that she intended on making an impression.

"Maybe next time you'll get more." She giggled, satisfied with my reaction. I groan and followed her out of the gym where Katherine and Embry were waiting.

**Embry POV**

We got into her car and waved good-bye to Jacob and Katherine. Leah sighed as we pulled out of the parking lot and turned up the stereo.

"What are you listening to?" I asked as I tried to discern which band she was listening to. She looked over at me for a second and smiled.

"Incubus"

"I thought it sounded familiar."

"I'm impressed Embry, you didn't strike me as an Incubus fan."

"_Make Yourself_ is the only album that I have." I said truthfully.

"Well, you can always borrow the rest from me. I have all of them." She said proudly. A new song started and I reached for the dial to turn it up a bit.

"_Anna-Molly_, right?" She smiled widely and nodded at my recognition of the song. I could see her lips moving lightly as she mouthed the lyrics. "Sing it." I urged.

"What? No way. I only sign in the car when I'm alone."

"Oh come on Leah. I've heard you sing before. Remember you're little cleaning dance session?"

"Oh god, I was hoping you had forgotten that!" she blushed in the cutest way and half covered her face with her right hand. "I'm sure I sounded horrible."

"Leah, I swear, it wasn't bad, the signing at least. But try not to dance like that in public." She gasped and reached over to smack my arm, as I laughed out loud. "I'm joking. Come Leah sign." A new song came on and I turned up the stereo louder. I knew this song too, _Love Hurts_. I pouted and gave her my best begging look. She laughed lightly in response.

"Okay, put that pouting lip away, I'll sing, but don't you dare laugh and don't watch me either, eye ahead of you." She warned and I sat obediently facing forward. She started off softly but as the chorus came up in the song, she was more comfortable and she sang louder.

"_Sometimes when I'm alone I wonder  
Is there a spell that I am under  
Keeping me from seeing the real thing?  
__Love hurts...But sometimes it's a good hurt  
And it feels like I'm alive.  
Love sings,…When it transcends the bad things.  
Have a heart and try me, 'cause without love I won't survive_."

I sat back and closed my eyes listening to her sign. I'm not going to say she sounds like and angel singing, but she has a sweet voice. The sound of her voice, along with the actual lyrics of the song, tugged at my heart and made my thoughts wander. She ended the song softly and poked me in the shoulder.

"Embry, did you fall asleep?" I made a snoring sound in response. "Hey, you're not suppose to make fun of me remember?!!" I finally opened my eyes and turned to her laughing.

"I'm not making fun of you. It was really nice, I swear." She rolled her eyes in response and returned her focus to the road.

"Consider that the last time I sing for you mister!" she said, faking a mad scowl. She looked so cute.

"Aww come on Leah, you know I wasn't laughing. Don't be like that." I pleaded, playing along as she pulled into the driveway in front of my house. Leah furrowed her brow and glanced at the stereo. I didn't understand what the issue was until I heard the lyrics of the next song.

…_.Earth to Bella,  
You think you've got it all figured in,  
Earth to Bella,  
Everything you know is wrong. Well, almost  
Earth to Bella,  
I've seen when you are not listening…._

"Embry" She turned to me as she lowered the volume on the stereo, "What happened between Jacob and Bella?" She gave me a pleading look and I couldn't resist her.

"Jacob loved Bella. He was young and she was his first love."

"Was she his girlfriend?"

"They never really dated. They were friends, he always wanted more, but she was broken hearted over someone else leaving her. He tried to help her heal her broken heart, but even then the stupid girl continued to keep her distance and dragged his heart through the mud." Leah frowned in sympathy; she knew very well what it felt like to love someone who didn't love you back. I remember exactly what she looked like when Sam broke up with her. "The day your father passed away, Bella decided to go cliff jumping and asked Jacob to come. Jacob was late and she decided to jump on her own, but there was a storm coming and the swell was too strong. When she hit the water, the waves battered her to the point that she couldn't keep her head above water. By the time Jacob got to her it was too late. From that day forward he blamed himself for her death."

"But it wasn't his fault." Leah protested.

"I know, and it took me forever to convince him of that."

"Embry…. What happened today in the gym? Did he say anything to you? Do I have something to worry about?" She sounded so unsure and insecure, all I wanted to do was comfort her.

"Nothing happened. He was just shocked that's all. You have to admit the new girl holds a sticking resemblance to Bella." She nodded and looked down at her hands. "Hey now, don't worry about it Leah. It doesn't mean anything okay." I reached out and lifted her chin to look at her tear glazed eyes. "Aww Leah, don't, I swear you have nothing to worry about." I pulled her into a hug over he centre console of the car. I resisted the urge to run my fingers through her hair and in that moment again I wished she was mine to have and to hold whenever I pleased.

But she wasn't mine and I needed to get that through my thick skull.

* * *

**A/N** Thanks for reading!!!! Hope you enjoyed that. _Please review and let me know what you liked or disliked. Thanks!!_

* * *

If youre looking for a good **Callwater** FanFic go read **tdfireproof**'s  
**_Some day the dream will end_** (id:4793572), then read the sequel _**The first day without a sun**_ (id:4820495) and then _**What Fate took from Embry **_(id:5364592)  
This story is angsty, painful, and sweet all at the same time. GO CHECK IT OUT!!


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.

**A/N: **Thank you to hgmsnoopy, hilja, tdfireproof, o0FLAM3S0o, Supernaturallysweet, Lil' Dinky, bvc17, JoJoSoPo, TaylorLautnerLover1, and laurazuleta18 for being awesome and reviewing!

This is the longest chapter so far, that's why it took me so long to write.  
I edited it to the best of my abilities but there still may be a few mistakes, sorry in advance.

Hope you like!

* * *

_You're not the one  
but you're the only one  
who can make me feel like this  
You're not the one  
but you're the only one  
who can make me feel like shit,...  
Someone's always someone else's one_

The One by Foo Fighters

* * *

**LEAH POV**

_Standing at the edge of the cliff, I looked ahead watching the oncoming storm clouds. I leaned into the wind, closed my eyes and inhaled the fresh salt water sent as it ascended up the cliff wall, from the violent waters below. I heard light footsteps approaching from behind and turned to regard the person who was intruding on my moment of silence. Bella stepped cautiously to the edge of the cliff and took a peek over the side._

"_What are you doing here" I said with an annoyed tone, but she never even turned in my direction, she just started talking to herself. I couldn't make out what she said, something about broken promises… She removed her sweater, took two steps back and launched herself over the cliff. I stood there frozen in shock, as I watched her crash into the turbulent water below._

"_Bella! Bella!" Jacob rushed out of the tree line towards the cliff's edge yelling her name. He took one look at the sweater lying on the ground and his eyes filled with horror. Stepping closer to the edge, he looked down but there was no trace of Bella. The currant must have pulled her under. I watched as he began to take off his shoes and shirt, getting ready to jump._

"_No Jake, NO! You can't go after her. You'll drown too!" I begged as I tried to push him away from the ledge, but he didn't even look my way to acknowledge my presence. Pain shot through my heart as he looked straight through me like I didn't even exist. "Jacob please stop. You can't. I need you alive. She never loved you anyway." I begged hysterically but Jacob took one deep breath and jumped._

_I felt my heart tear in to two as I watched him crash into the dark water below. I'm not sure what came over me, or why I thought it was a good idea, but I threw off my shoes and jumped after him. The fall was so fast I didn't even get a chance to catch my breath. I crashed into the water with massive force and salt water push up my nose, burning my nostrils. I fought my way to the surface, to get a breath of air, but not matter how much I kicked, every wave pulled me further down. My mind scream for Jacob as I swung my arms wildly trying to get to the surface. Another wave came and threw me in the direction of a submerged boulder. I watched in horror as the currant pulled me on a collision course with the hard stone and I braced myself for impact._

Instead of hitting the rocks, I jumped in my bed, waking up in a cold sweat and breathing hard. I clutched at my chest with one hand, feeling my heart racing beneath it. It was just a dream, but I couldn't dismiss the forewarning feeling I got when I pieced together the details of the dream racing through my mind. My cell phone buzzed to life, screen flashing with an incoming call. Without looking at the caller ID, I answered.

"Hello?" I said with a yawn.

"Leah, it,s Sophie, I know it's late, but I keep having these weird dreams…I just wanna know if you're ok." Sophie said in a whisper.

"Yah, I guess I'm fine. I just had a stupid dream and woke up with my heart racing… "

"Is everything ok?" She said with genuine concern in her voice.

"Yah, I guess I'm fine. You know how I am… always over thinking things."

"What is it?"

"Sophie, its 3 A.M. I'll call you tomorrow and fill you in. It's not a life or death situation. Just go back to sleep." It was a weeknight after all and I knew she had class the next morning.

"Well okay, but call me if you need to talk." She said hesitantly and I could tell she didn't buy into my excuse but she let me go anyway.

"Good night." I ended the call and fell back onto my pillow with a great sigh. Yawning, I closed my eyes and hoped for sleep to take me soon, but then I heard someone shouting outside.

_Stupid teenage punk_, I thought to myself. _Don't kids have curfews anymore_? Frustrated, I looked at the clock, it was 3:20 A.M. I huffed and got out of bed to see what the commotion is about. Parting my blinds a bit, I peeked outside to see Seth standing at the tree line with Quil and Embry. Seth had his shirt tucked into the back pocket of his jeans, and the three of them stood out there shirtless. _What the hell is wrong with these guys, it's way too damn cold to be walking around shirtless!_

I always had a feeling that something weird was going on. Seth was always out late, coming home at odd hours, usually in the middle of the night. Mom was never concerned because many times he was out with Sam or one of his followers, but I was not convinced. I watched them as they stood for a bit longer, talking, then Seth turned and started jogging towards the house, while the other two walked into the woods. _Who walks around in the woods in the middle of the night?_ This is exactly the kind of behavior that I found strange.

I watched Seth putting his shirt back on as he walked up the driveway and I was able to hear him as he clumsily opened the door and walked into the house. Listening to him walk up the stairs, I considered confronting him and demanding some answers but my eye lids felt heavy. I yawned widely and made a note to bring up this strange behavior next time I have a few minutes with Seth. Reaching for my pillow, I crawled underneath the blankets and drifted off to sleep.

**_*** Couple of days later ***_**

It was as if Seth knew I wanted to talk to him, because he avoided me for the last two days. Every time I saw him, he was rushing out to work or something equally important to him. As well, I spent the last two evenings at school, working on the decorations for the Halloween party, which did not leave me with too many opportunities to catch him at home.

Tonight was no exception; Katherine and I were sprawled out on the gym floor, painting life size cutouts of ghosts and other monsters. I've made an effort to get to know Katherine in the last few days, and found that we got along quite well. The only time it gets weird is when she starts asking questions about Jacob and Embry. I have never been _that girl_. The kind of girl that gets jealous and possessive over a guy. But I felt it coming on with every time she asked a question about Jacob, especially when it was a question about _Bella_ and Jacob.

"So how long have you and Jacob been dating?" Katherine asked innocently.

"About a month and a half now." I know that isn't that long but it felt like more to me. Plus there was a definite connection between us that made it a lot more promising then my last couple of relationships.

"Oh that's nice." She replied with a small smile.

We sat there silently painting for a moment longer until the gym doors swung open. Embry and Jacob were carrying in plywood. I immediately perked up at the sight of them. They put the stack of plywood on the far wall and started walking over to us.

"Hello ladies." Jacob said with a bright smile, revealing his gorgeous dimples. Embry just smiled and gave a wave in our direction. Jacob came up to me and pulled me up into his arms, breathing in deeply.

"Hello beautiful", he whispered into my ear, causing my smile to widen.

"Ahem," Embry cleared his throat. "Are we going to do any work today Jake?"

"Yah, we're going to do some work today. Can't a guy hug his girl?" Jacob said as he pulled away. "So it looks like you're both busy. But we need someone to help draw the designs on the plywood, which we will need to cut out."

"I'll help!" Katherine jumped in before I could say anything. Her blue eyes sparkled as she looked at Jacob, which pissed me off more than a little.

"Okay great, let's go Katherine." Embry motioned for her to follow him. She looked to him and then back to Jacob.

"Oh okay" Katherine got up and followed Embry over to the work bench they had setup. Jacob pulled me in close again.

"So tell me, what do I have to do to get some quality time with you?" At this point his face was just inches away from mine and I couldn't think straight. I bit my lower lips while trying to find the words to answer him, but all I could think of was how much I wanted to kiss him. He laughed lightly and said, "Earth to Leah, are you still in there?"

I shook my head out and finally replied, "How about we hang out tomorrow, go see a movie or something?"

"Sounds good…. Actually I have an idea, what would you say if I suggested bringing Katherine and Embry along?"

"Why would you suggest that?" I said narrowing my eyes.

"Well, Embry has been asking questions about Katherine. Stuff like '_What do you think of her_', '_Has Leah said anything about her?_', and '_How long do you think she will be staying here?_'. I have a feeling he might like her."

"Oh, I had no idea." I looked over at Embry and Katherine, who were looking at drawings and laughing together. They _did_ look like they were getting along well. It might actually work, and maybe Embry will not have to worry about me stealing his best friend anymore. I turned back to Jacob, "Sure, I think that's a great idea."

* * *

**Embry POV**

On the way home Jacob filled me in about his idea of us going on a double date on Saturday with Leah and Katherine. I was hesitant at first, Katherine was nice and all, but that attraction wasn't there for me. However the person I was attracted to was off limits and I couldn't just sit at home pining over someone that would never be mine. So I agreed. Maybe once I got to know her better my feeling for her would grow...

"Okay, I'll come out, but don't get your hopes up cupid." Jacob smiled widely at me from the driver's seat, and wiggled his brow suggestively.

"Awesome, it's going to be great. I have a good feeling about you and Kat. Plus she's pretty"

"Yah, she's pretty, needs a bit of sun, but other than that she's nice looking." Thinking it over, Katherine really was pretty, but not as pretty as Leah.

"She's got a nice smile." Jacob pointed out, and I looked at him with a raised eye brow.

"Let me guess, it looks just like Bella's?" He tried to act cool when I looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Well, now that you pointed it out, I guess you're right, it does look like Bella's smile."

"Mhmm, like you never noticed before." There was no way he didn't notice earlier. I caught him staring at her earlier today. I will go on this date, not only to get to know Katherine better, but also to keep Jake in line.

**_*** Saturday night ***_**

"Mom have you seen my black golf shirt?" I yelled to my mom across the small house.

"What did you say sweetheart?" She replied as she walked to my room. Standing in the doorway with an amused smile, she watched me as I sifted through my closet looking for something to wear. "Going somewhere?"

"Yes, going out with Jake. Have you seen my golf shirt?"

"Going out where and why?"

"Dinner and a movie. Golf shirt, have you seen it?" _Enough with the 20 questions already_, I need to get dressed because Jacob was going to be here any minute.

"Just the two of you?" She eyed me curiously.

"No mom, with Leah Clearwater and Katherine Lilly, the new school teacher in town." Her eyes brightened.

"Really? You and Leah Clearwater?" _Oh god_, my mom knew exactly how much I use to like Leah. Once in high school, my mom found a letter I wrote to Leah in one of my pant pockets, and she continued to drop hints for me to ask her out for months before I actually got the courage to, but by then I was too late.

"No, Jacob is with Leah, I'm going out with Katherine, Chief Swan's niece." I said frustrated, still looking for that shirt.

"Oh, I see." She looked disappointed, but trust me, no one was more disappointed then me.

"Mom, shirt!?." I took a step back away from my closet in defeat.

"Top drawer, on the left." She pointed to my dresser. I pulled it out, it thankfully didn't looked wrinkled, so I pulled it over my head grabbed my jacket and headed for the door.

"Thanks mom, have a good night, don't wait up." I stopped in the doorway and kissed her on the cheek quickly as Jacob pulled up to the house.

"Be good, have fun, and don't loiter!" my mom called after me as I jumped into the front seat of Jacob's car.

"Hey Jake, do we have to pick up the girls?"

Jacob shook his head. "Nope, they are meeting us there."

"What movie are we seeing?" Hopefully it's not a chick flick, I don't want to watch any of that lovey-dovey crap right now. I could handle a comedy, but I'd prefer a movie with a few explosions in it.

"That movie about ninja assassins which is out now." Jake said with enthusiasm.

_Perfect!_

**_*** At the restaurant ***_**

We pulled up to Luigi's Pizza and the girls were already waiting for us by the door. Jake walked up to Leah wrapping her in a hug while I stood awkwardly looking at Katherine.

"Hi, umm so you look pretty today Katherine." She smiled in appreciation and her cheeks turned pink.

"Thanks, you look nice too Embry." I opened the door for her and motioned for her to walk in.

"Hey Embry, thanks for coming out tonight." Leah said as she followed Katherine in. She looked so good tonight, but I did my best to keep my focus on Katherine.

We were seated in a booth and the waiter took our drink orders. I hope the girls were hungry because I know I sure was and I could hear Jacob's stomach rumbling across the table. The girls stared in amazement as Jacob and I ordered three extra large pizzas.

"Are you really going to eat all that?" Katherine said in disbelief.

Jacob smiled "For sure! We're growing boys Katherine. We need nourishment."

"It's true, I've seen Jacob eat almost all of an extra large pizza on his own. You'll be lucky if you get a slice." Leah said laughing.

"Really?!" she said looking at Jake.

The food was brought out and all three pizzas wouldn't fit on the table. They had to set up a small folding table to accommodate the third one. It was funny to see their faces as they watched us down one slice after another. After a while Katherine even looked concern.

"Are you going to be okay to go to the movies still, after eating all that?"

"Hell yah" Jacob chimed in. "And he'll get popcorn too!" I laughed and nodded in agreement. I looked over at Leah who just smiled and rolled her eyes at me. It stung a little knowing that she was not my date tonight.

"Wow, that's incredible Jacob." Katherine said looking at Jacob in wonder and he sat up straight looking proud of himself. Immediately, Leah's eyes narrowed slightly and she ran her hand up Jacob's arm. I couldn't help but laugh inside. She looked so cute when she was jealous.

We finished up dinner and headed out to the movie theater.

**_*** At the movie theater ***_**

"So Katherine, what will it be, popcorn or candy?" I asked as we stood staring at the food selection.

"Definitely candy. Cherry Blasters are my favorite." She decided.

"Mine too! I love Cherry Blasters!" Jacob said behind us.

"Oh my god, aren't they the best?!" Katherine turned around excitedly.

"Cherry Blasters it is." I said as I handed her the bag of candy.

"Thanks Embry."

I was getting a weird vibe from Jacob tonight. It seemed that Katherine and him had a lot in common, and they got along pretty well… too well in fact because I could see Leah's frustration mounting. Maybe Katherine was just being friendly but she was stepping on some toes without even realizing it.

* * *

**Leah POV**

The movie dragged on, as people got chopped and slashed by ninjas. Jacob had one arm around my shoulders and the other consistently running a path between the bag of candy and his mouth. I officially _hated_ Cherry Blasters.

Thankfully the movie was over soon enough and it was time to go home. I caught a ride home with Jacob and Embry was getting a ride home from Katherine. Judging from their interaction tonight I would predict that there will not be another date for Embry and Katherine.

We said our goodbyes and headed home.

"So how'd you like the movie?" Jacob broke the silence as we drove past the border into the rez.

"It was alright, a little too much blood for my liking." I said truthfully.

"Well at least you didn't throw up. Once, I went to the movies with Bella and this clown, Mike, who ended up throwing up because the movie was too gory." He said laughing as he reminisced.

"That's nice." I said as he pulled up to my house.

"What's wrong Leah?" He parked the car in front of the house and cut the engine. I gave him one look and got out of the car without saying a word. "Hey Leah wait, tell me what's wrong?" I picked up my pace as Jacob ran after me. He caught up to me by the stairs and turned me around to face him.

"What do you want Jacob?" _Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, you're not a sissy girl Leah_, I told myself.

"Tell me what's wrong." He said with begging eyes, the same look he gave me when I kissed him at his shop.

"Do you like Katherine? Because you two sure have a lot in common. Both love the same pizza toppings, candy, and music." He smiled and that only made me angrier.

"Leah, you're so cute when you're jealous." He laughed lightly and wrapped me in a hug. I struggled against his chest to push him away.

"No, let me go. In just one night, I see where this is headed. I knew it from the moment you saw her, it's the Sam and Emily scenario all over again."

"You couldn't be more wrong Leah. It's you that I want." With that, he captured my lips, pressing them into his with need. There was something deep inside that screamed in warning, but I couldn't help but reciprocate his actions.

I wrapped my arms around his neck as his hands slowly inched up the back of my shirt. Not wanting this to end, I pulled away and led him up to the front door and into the house. Motioning for him to be quiet, we sneaked up stairs into my room. He looked around the room shyly and stood by the door. Taking him by the hand, I brought him over to the bed. He sat down, nervously scratching the back of his neck.

"Umm, maybe I shouldn't be up here. If you're mom catches us she'll kick my ass, and when she's done Seth will do the same." I just shook my head no and crushed my lips to his. My mom would be sound asleep for the night, she worked a double shift at the hospital so she would be sleeping till noon at least, and Seth was out again.

He tasted sweet, like cherries, and I tilted my head to the side to deepen the kiss. Jacob had no issue participating, his hands quickly began exploring the curves of my hips. He broke free of my lips and trailed soft open mouth kissed down the side of my neck to my collar bone. My mind continued to scream in warning as his hands inched up my shirt, I knew that there was a possibility that I would regret this, but it felt too good to stop.

***** Sunday Morning *****

I woke up the next morning, incredibly warm. Jacob had his arms around me, his breath grazed the skin on my neck as he slept. Smiling, I recalled the events of last night, we didn't get that far, but it was still so sweet and intimate, I couldn't help but feel all warm and fuzzy inside at the thought. I shifted, wanting to turn myself around.

"Mmm, where do you think you're going" he mumbled sleepily and tighten his grip around my waist.

"I'm not going anywhere, I just want to turn around." His hands relinquished their grasp and I turned to face him. He grazed his nose against mine and placed a small soft his on my lips.

"Good morning beautiful." He said as he pulled me close again, entangling his legs with mine. I could stay in my bed all day if he was in it.

* * *

**A/N** Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed that. _Please review and let me know what you liked or disliked. Thanks!_


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.

**A/N: **Thank you to o0FLAM3S0o, hgmsnoopy, hilja, laurazuleta18, tdfireproof, Lil' Dinky, TaylorLautnerLover1, JoJoSoPo, and Cat60041x3 for being awesome and reviewing!

**Enjoy the Chapter! **And PLEASE don't forget to review ^_^

* * *

_Like a summer rose_  
_needs the sun and rain_  
_I need your sweet love_  
_to beat love away_

I just don't know what to do with myself – White Stripes

* * *

**Leah POV**

Halloween was fast approaching and our days were spent building, decorating and planning for the town's Big Halloween Bash. Jacob and Embry have been working overtime to get the haunted maze finished, while Katherine and I have been painting and updating Joyce on the progress. Party planning was serious business; no wonder people can make money off of doing this. No one in their right mind would want to deal with this kind of stress if they had the money to pay an expert to put it all together for them.

Unfortunately it was not the case for La Push Elementary. The only resources we had was the donated time of the decorating committee. This is why I came home every night with paint covered hands and a rapidly developing case of carpal tunnel. However, we did our best to have fun in the process. I started bringing in my ipod and speakers so that we didn't have to work in silence.

Embry and I were standing by the work bench, and I was doing another design outline on the plywood. While he waited for me to finish, he began shuffling through the ipod.

"What are you looking for? Name the song and I'll tell you if I have it on there." I said looking over my shoulder as he concentrated on working the delicate device in his man sized hands.

"I'm looking for a _good_ fun song." He looked up at me momentarily, with that annoying smirk of his which has resurfaced over the last few days.

I narrowed my eyes and looked at him evilly. "They are _all_ good songs."

"All 2000 songs?"

"Some more than others, but yes." He looked at me skeptically.

"Okay, I found a fun song." He said smiling approvingly at the ipod in his hand as he pressed play. The sound of a pop punk guitar intro filled the gym and a familiar voice broke into a verse.

"I'd do anything by Simple Plan. _This _is a good song in your opinion?" I looked at him unbelieving. I don't know too many people who still listen to Simple Plan.

"Hey, _you're _the one that has it on your ipod not me. Plus if you won't tell anyone then neither will I" Embry said, ending it with a wink. I laughed and nodded in agreement while he started to bob his head to the music and began to sing.

"_Another day is going by  
I'm thinking about you all the time  
But you're out there  
And I'm here waiting"_

He continued while I laughed hysterically at his attempt to look cool while singing out of tune. My reaction didn't faze him at all, if anything he just sang louder.

_"This could be the one last chance  
To make you understand  
I'd do anything  
Just to hold you in my arms  
To try to make you laugh  
'Cuz somehow I can't put you in the past  
I'd do anything  
Just to fall asleep with you  
Will you remember me?  
'Cuz I know  
I won't forget you"_

It was the funniest thing I've seen all year. Seeing Embry rocking out, not caring how ridicules he looked was awesome. It made me want to join in and I almost did,… _almost_, but I'm not _that _brave. He paused for a second and gave me a glowing carefree smile.

"Come on Leah, I know you know the lyrics!" but I just shook my head and he continued to sing. However, this time he calmed a little and looked me straight in the eye.

"_I close my eyes  
And all I see is you  
I close my eyes  
I try to sleep  
I can't forget you  
(Na na na.)  
And I'd do anything for you  
(Na na na...)"_

He sang it like he meant it, and I felt chills from head to toe as I looked in to his eyes. They were soft brown, shining and… hopeful? I must be misreading this behavior because this is the same Embry that swore to Jacob that he wasn't interested in me and that I'm not even his type. The song finished and he smiled widely at me.

"You're a convincing performer Embry Call."

Embry bowed. "Thank you, thank you. No autographs please." Then he laughed and I rolled my eyes in response.

I liked spending time with Embry. He was easy to get along with and funny. Yes, there were many time where he annoyed the hell out of me. To this day, he doesn't understand that the food in _my_ fridge is not there for _him_ to eat. Still, there were also moments where he would surprise me and he would know exactly what to say or do when I was down. Plus, it helped that he was hot. I'm a complete sucker for guys with nice broad shoulders and Embry was no exception.

A few nights ago I was watching Embry and Jacob put together the walls for the maze and I couldn't help but start comparing the two of them. Jacob was confident and hot, he had a more massive frame compared to Embry. His shoulders were wide and strong. Even through his shirt, you could see the groves of his muscles. The sight of him looking like that took me back to the night he spent in my room. I remembered tracing my fingers over his unbelievably warm skin, feeling the groves between those muscles as he held me.

* * *

**Jacob POV**

Leah is sweet, caring, passionate and beautiful. Her laugh is like a medicine that can cure sadness in a heartbeat. When she looks at me with those stunning brown eyes, I get lost in their beauty. But… dammit', I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. Each moment I spend with Katherine, I feel a stronger pull to her. A pull that there are no grounds for except the fact that she is Bella's cousin. It's like she is a link to a time of innocent happiness. I would have waited by Bella's side forever if I had to, I would have given up my life for her. That's not something that can be easily forgotten.

Time heals all wounds, but it can't erase your memory.

* * *

**Embry POV**

It was the night before the big Halloween party. We were all in the gym, putting the final touches on the decoration and I must say that we did an AWESOME job! You wouldn't recognize the place.

"Wow! This is the best decorated Annual Big Halloween Bash venue I have seen in years. I must say that you all have out done yourselves", Joyce said as she beamed with pride. She walked around the gym, inspecting the detailed work we put into the decorations, and nodded in approval. "Very well done, I'm very impressed."

"Thank you Joyce" Leah said in relief. She was so worried that Joyce would be too critical, because of how hard she's been on us for the last few weeks leading up to the party.

"Well, I think your job here is done. Thank you to all of you for your weeks of hard work." With that Joyce dismissed us and we were finally free. We made our way to the parking lot and the excitement of finally being free of our duties was coursing through our bodies. There was an obvious skip in everyone step.

"Hey, why don't we all go out for a drink to celebrate?" Jacob suggested as he turned to face us. "It's still early, and tomorrow is Saturday…." _The man had a point._

"I'm in!" Katherine said excitedly. "Embry, what do you say?" She looked up at me with those big blue eyes as she wrapped herself around my arm. I looked at Jacob, who cocked an eyebrow as he looked at Katherine hanging off of my arm.

"Yah, count me in." Katherine smiled widely at me and looked towards Leah.

"Leah? How about you?" Leah looked us over and shrugged her shoulders.

"What the hell… I'm in too. But who's driving?" She looked around, but there were no volunteers.

"I'll drive" Katherine finally offered and we all nodded in agreement. I took the front seat while Jacob and Leah piled into the back of the small sedan. We drove down the street to Jack's Bar & Grill.

* * *

**Leah POV**

I haven't been out for a drink since I moved back home. Last time I went drinking was with Sophie, the night before I left Seattle. The thought of Sophie not being here made me sad. It's really hard to be away from your partner in crime. I sighed heavily as we entered the bar and slumped my shoulders. Jacob must have tuned into the suddenly glum vibe I was giving off because he put his arm around me as we walked and rubbed my shoulder soothingly. He always felt so warm; he was like my own personal space heater.

We found a booth in the corner and began looking over the drink menu. The place was quite busy. Probably because it was a Friday night and there really isn't much to do in Forks. The music was playing loudly and several patrons have already made it out on to the dance floor.

"Man, I'm hungry. You hungry Jacob?" Embry asked as if he didn't already know the answer. Jacob is _always_ hungry.

"Yah, I could eat. Nachos?" Embry's eye lit up at the suggestion, which I would take as a yes to the nachos.

"What can I get you guys?" the waitress said as she arrived at our table. We all looked to regard her and I read her name tag, Lauren.

I looked around at everyone, their noses still buried in the menus. "Can I get a rum and coke, and can you start us off with a round of shots?" I pursed my lips and thought of which shot to get. "Liquid Cocaine shots." She nodded as she made a note about the order.

"Anything else?" she put her hand on her hip and shifted her weight to one side. "Boys? Anything for you?" she looked over at the guys as they mentally debated over which of the 17 menu items to order.

"Yah, can we get two orders of nachos…and I'll have a Bud." Embry ordered.

"Yah a Bud for me as well." Jacob added.

"How about you?" She nodded in Katherine's direction.

"Can I please have a Virgin Sex on the Beach?" she asked shyly. _Virgin? Oh please_. I thought.

"Sure thing sweetheart. Coming right up." Without a smile, she turned on her heals and walked back to the bar.

"Liquid Cocaine? Virgin Sex on the Beach? What the hell?" Jacob said with a smirk.

"Jake, 'What the hell' is not a drink." Embry said jokingly.

"Umm, actually it is a drink… it has Apricot Brandy, Gin, Dry Vermouth and a slash of lemon juice." I said with a sly smile.

"Oh really? So what, you're a drink expert now?" alleged Embry.

"No, it just so happens that I knew _that_ one." I replied just as Lauren came back with our drink. Damn, I forgot to mention that Katherine is not having one, so she brought four shots instead of three…. _Oh well can't let good alcohol go to waste_.

"Cheers to a job well done everyone." Proposed Jacob and we all lifted our shots or drinks and took a swig after we all clinked our glasses in a toast at the center of the table.

"That was a good shot!" Embry said licking his lips. "You gonna have the second one?" He eyed the spare shot. I pushed it over to him and started on my drink. He took the shot and licked his lips again, but this time there was a little bit of the shot that escaped at the corner of his lips. I laughed and he looked at me curiously,

"What?" Embry shrugged. I motioned that he had something on his face, but to my surprise, Katherine reached up and wiped the stray drops of the shot from his chin, and licked it seductively off of her finger. _WTF?_ _Again, Virgin? Oh Please!_ The guys both stared at her, Embry in confusion and Jacob in… well I don't know what the hell that look was but I didn't like it.

"Jake?" I said sweetly as Katherine locked a stare in his direction. Jacob snapped out of it and turned to me. "You wanna dance?" I suggested as another rock n' roll / country song started playing.

He frowned and shook his head. "No thanks Leah. These feet were not made for dancing." He said pointing down below the table. I looked over at Katherine who was still engaged in a stare directed at Jacob. _Two can play this game._

"Embry?" I turned to him and he was still looking disbelievingly at Katherine.

"Dance?" he arched his eyebrow at me, giving me his standard annoying smirk. "Princess, you don't even know what you've gotten yourself into. I've got mad dancing skillz." I rolled my eyes at him. He still hasn't given up calling me princess, no matter how many times I've given him shit for it.

"Let's go, show me what you got 'Mr. Mad Dance Skillz'. Hopefully you got something better, then what I saw while you were rocking out earlier." I said and he laughed in response. He took my hand and led me through the crowd to the dance floor at the back of the bar. With one tight twirl, he had me in front of him with his hand on my hip. He was _actually_ not bad at this! A little awkward at first, when he was trying to find his rhythm, but he got it by the next song.

Embry smiled widely at me and I did not miss the fact that he had at least one hand on me at all times. This was fun and at the same time it felt good to be this close to him. It felt easy and natural to be this close to him. I guess it's because I'm not his type. He spun me around and out, then pulled me back in wrapping his arm around me, entrapping me between his strong arm with my back against his chest. I felt his breathe on my neck as he paused before he spun me out again. _Damn! That was hot_.

The song ended and I fanned myself with my hand. It was crowded and hot on that dance floor, so we moved to the side of the bar and ordered two more drink and two more shots. I was so thirsty, I didn't waste time drinking the drink, but a moment later I felt the warmth creeping up to my cheeks.

"You're cheeks are rosy Leah." He laughed and I blushed, making it even worse.

"That's what happens when I drink." I admitted. "It's the alcohol, taking it's effect."

"Lightweight." He said with smirk as he pulled me back out on to the dance floor. Again, the song ended but this time it was slower. Embry looked around unsure of how to proceed. I took one glance in the direction of our booth, where we left Jacob and Katherine. She was leaning across the table, listening intently to whatever Jacob was saying. I narrowed my eyes and turned, walking up to Embry.

I smiled and put my arms around his neck. He beamed down a smile in my direction, cautiously put his hands around my waist and started singing again as we swayed to the music. _White Stripes, I just don't know what to do with myself_, I thought as I recognized the song.

"_I just don't know what to do with myself  
I don't know what to do with myself  
planning everything for two…_"

But I cut him off. "Embry, are you seeing Katherine?"

He looked at me curiously and said "No. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious I guess. It seems like she likes you." He shrugged in response and continued to sing along with the song.

"_like a summer rose  
needs the sun and rain  
I need your sweet love  
to beat love away_"

The song picked up, he spun me around and I laughed in response. Looks like I have a dancing partner for tomorrow night.

* * *

**Embry POV**

Honestly, this was one of the best nights ever! Having Leah in my arms, laughing, as we dance was beyond words. Every time I touched her, my fingertips burned with anticipation of the next touch. The more time I have with her, the more I want her. _This sucks_, I thought as I looked over at Jacob.

* * *

**NEXT CHAPTER: The Halloween party! I'm excited about writing this next chapter. I'll post it as soon as I can**

Thanks again for reading! **Please review **and let me know what you think, it just takes a moment ^_^  
If you have any suggestions about the characters or the story let me know.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.

**A/N: **Thank you to hgmsnoopy, JoJoSoPo, bvc17, o0FLAM3S0o, tdfireproof, TaylorLautnerLover1, hilja, laurazuleta18, and Little Emily for being awesome and reviewing!

Thanks to everyone who subscribed to the alerts and who added this story to their favorites! **Review! I want to hear from you** ^_^

I encountered some **technical difficulties** and posted chapter 13 twice, in the process deleting chapter 12. Opps *blushes* Sorry. I reposted chapter 12, so if you missed it, it's available again now!

ALSO! **There are pics of the costumes up on my profile!** So go check them out.

* * *

_I put a spell on you_  
_Because you're mine._  
_I can't stand the things that you do._  
_No, no, no, I ain't lyin'. No._  
_I don't care if you don't want me_  
_'Cause I'm yours, yours, yours anyhow._

I put a spell on you by Marilyn Manson

* * *

**JACOB POV**

"Dude, I have the wickedest costume ever! I'm going as Indiana Jones and Kim is going to be Laura Croft, from Tomb Raider." I heard Jared shout over the rest of the pack as I entered Emily's kitchen. They were all gathered around the table discussing the Halloween Party.

"What about you Paul? What are you going as?" Seth asked.

Paul was quiet for a moment and finally replied, "_Stupid_ Halloween, I don't even want to go to this party."

"Oh this is going to be good." Quil leaned in, listening to the conversation intently as I stood against the kitchen counter. "What is Rachel making you wear?" he asked excitedly.

Paul rolled his eyes and said, "It's one of those stupid couple costumes. I'm going to be Fred and Rachel is Wilma Flinstone." An uproar of laughter erupted from the rest of the guys sitting at the table. "Hey! Don't laugh. It's not funny! I have to wear these stupid shoe covers that look like feet! This is imprint torture at its worst." Paul said with mounting frustration. Then Sam walked into the kitchen and the guys quieted down.

"I know that everyone is excited about the Halloween Party tonight, but I still need you guys to run your patrol shifts. It's Halloween, so vamps might be more active tonight, as they would blend in with the crowds much easier. So we have to be extra alert. Plus, the party will be at the school on the rez and I don't want any chance of these bloodsuckers crossing our border." Everyone groaned in unison. "Does anyone want to volunteer to take the first shift?" He looked around but no one answered.

"I will." I said stepping forward. My logic was that the party won't be getting started until later, so if I come fashionably late, I won't be missing too much. Sam nodded in approval.

"Great, who's running with Jacob?" Sam asked the rest of the guys.

"I'll patrol with him." Quil offered. I was surprised that Embry didn't volunteer. Usually, we run patrols together.

"Next shift?" Sam eyed everyone left at the table. Seth and then Embry put up their hands. "Thanks guys. I'll run the night shift with Jared." He looked at Jared who was not happy about being singled out.

"Hey, awesome! You and me Embry, finally running patrols together." Seth said eagerly as he looked at Embry who just nodded in response.

"Oh and Paul", Sam said before he exited the kitchen, "Since you don't have a shift to run, I want you to keep watch at the party. That means I want you sober and alert." Paul groan like a child and everyone laughed again.

We all took our seats around the table as Emily pulled the food out of the oven. It was some kind of lasagna and it smelled delicious. I sat in my customary seat next to Embry and eyed him curiously. He was much more quiet then usual.

"You ok buddy? You seem a little off today." Embry looked up at me and gave me a half smirk.

"I guess I drank more then I should have last night…" I laughed at his response and dug a fork into the mountain of pasta on my plate.

"So what are you dressing up as tonight?" We never really had time to talk about it since we have been working at the school after hours for several weeks straight.

"Actually, I don't want to say. I want it to be a surprise… but it's awesome." He said grinning. "What about you?"

"I'm going to be a masked avenger, but I won't tell you which one." Embry narrowed his eyes at me with a smirk. "What? You want yours to be a surprise, well then so do I" Embry rolled his eyes in response and we both laughed.

* * *

**LEAH POV**

I was seriously excited for this party. Thanks to all the time we put in to the decorations, Joyce has given us the night off and assigned other people to manage the party. This was a huge relief on my end because decorating is one thing but event management is not one of my strong points.

After showering, I began to work on my hair. I was sitting on the bathroom counter, cross-legged, with a curling iron in hand. Usually, my hair is dead straight so it takes a whole lot of effort to get it curly. Between curling each damn strand of hair and hair-spraying it, so that the curl would hold out longer than an hour, this was a very time consuming process.

My cell phone beeped with an incoming text and I promptly opened it.

_Katherine txt_: [ almost done getting ready, c u the party ]

More like, _avoid you at the party!_ I thought but that's not what I wrote. Since I work with her, I don't really want to be on bad terms.

_Leah txt_: [ Ya c u there ]

A knock at the bathroom door startled me. "Leah! Are you done yet? I have to shower too you know?!" Seth shouted from out in the hall.

"Yah I know, I can smell you through the door." I said with a snicker.

"Very funny!" he replied sarcastically and knocked again.

"I'll be out in a few minutes, calm yourself!" Seth huffed and puffed, as he walked back to his room.

_There!_ I was done. I looked over the flowing dark curls cascading down my shoulders and I was impressed with myself. It usually doesn't come out _this_ good! I put away my curling iron and hair products, to make room on the counter for my makeup. I curled my eyelashes, making them sky high, added some eyeliner, smoky eye shadow and mascara to complete the look.

"Seth, I'm done!" I yelled as I walked out of the bathroom. He quickly shuffled out of his room in the direction of the bathroom.

"_FINALLY_." He huffed again as he shut the door.

Once in my room, I began to put together my costume. I was going as a fortune teller, so I had a big layered skirt and a peasant looking blouse, a bunch of bangles, and a head scarf. Now, all I needed was my leather boots, which must be somewhere in my closet. I sighed at the thought of having to go through all the boxes which I haven't unpacked yet, but the boots were necessary.

After 8 boxes and a knee high pile of clothes in the center of my room, I found the boots I was looking for and they were so worth the search. I picked up my cellphone off of the dresser and found that I had another text message, this time from Jake. I smiled and read it.

_Jacob txt_: [ I'll be the masked man dressed in black, oh and I'll have a cape! See you soon beautiful ]

Just a text message from him is enough to put me in a good mood. I smiled and quickly got dressed. Before I left the room, I looked myself over in the mirror to make sure nothing was out of place and then made my way downstairs. Mom and Seth were already waiting for me by the door when I came down.

"Well? What do you think?" I said as I did a little twirl.

"Very nice Leah," mom said as she smiled approvingly, but Seth scrunched his face.

"What Seth?" I said annoyed at his reaction.

"You have to change" he replied immediately.

"What? No way!"

"It's not a negotiation. I will _not_ allow you to go out with all your girly goodies hanging out like that!" He said scrunching his face again in disapproval, as he pointed to my blouse, which was showing only a _modest _amount of cleavage.

"What!? Seth don't be ridicules." I protested.

Seth turned to mom and said, "Mom, can I get some back up on this?" She just smiled.

"Now Seth, Leah can't help it if she's got 'girly goodies',… she's a lady, with ' _lovely lady lumps, in the back in the front'_"

"Oh my god! Did you just quote Black Eyed Peas?!" Seth looked at her incredulously while she laughed and nodded yes. "Where in the world did you hear that song?"

"MTV" my mom answered still laughing, and I couldn't help but join in.

"That's it! We are switching to basic cable." He announced, to which we responded with another uproar of laughter.

**_*** At the party ***_**

The moment I walked in, I found a panicking Joyce in the lobby. She ran up to me, with a look of relief.

"Oh thank god you're here! The music in the haunted maze is not working. I tried to fix it but technology and I don't mix. Please can you go check it out?" I nodded and made my way to the haunted maze room.

"Hey Leah!" I turned to find Katherine waiting by the gym doors.

"Hi, nice costume." I said as I looked her over. She was dressed as a she-devil, how appropriate! "Who are you waiting for?" _You better not say Jake_, I thought.

"I'm waiting for Embry. He said he was going to meet me here."

_Oh_.

"Okay, well I'll be back I have to fix the music in the haunted maze." I said as I started heading for the maze past the crowds of people.

I entered the room through the back door where we had all the technical equipment set up and started tinkering with the CD player. _It would help if there was a little bit more light in here_, I thought to myself and as if on queue a small light turned on above my head. I jumped, startled beyond all comprehension and found Batman standing behind me. With my hand on my heart I breathed deep to settle my racing pulse.

"You scared the shit out of me!" I said and he laughed, turning off the small flashlight.

"Nice costume" he said over all the noise coming from the maze.

"Thanks, nice cape." I replied as I took one step towards him. He looked at me a bit shocked, but didn't make a move. _Do I have to do everything?_

I ran my hand down the center of his chest and down his abs. I felt his breath hitch as my hand pass down his stomach and he flexed instinctively. His hands were still securely at his side, which I didn't appreciate one bit, so I moved closer, pressing myself against him and wrapping my arms around his waist. He felt uncomfortable, I could tell by the tension in his muscles, and I couldn't read his facial expression because it was almost completely dark in the room. My hand traveled up his arm, over his shoulder, to his neck.

"Since when are you this shy?" I asked as I put my hand on the back of his neck and pulled his lips down to mine.

He barely kissed me at first, but I wrapped my other arm around his neck and pulled him even closer to me. That's when he responded and an unfamiliar currant shot through my body. He kissed me like he's never kissed me before. His hand traveled up my back and threaded through the curls above my neck. His other hand seared a path over the bare skin on my shoulders and his lips worked tirelessly against mine. I moaned lightly in response which only drove him further.

The sound of a screeching child coming from the haunted maze broke us up and he suddenly looked confused. He backed away slowly while I leaned against the wall breathless. I moved to pull him back but he bolted for the door. Not knowing how to react or what exactly just happened, I stood there for a moment before I ran after him.

I ran in to the hallway, passed everyone waiting to get into the haunted maze, but I couldn't catch up to him.

"Leah!" I turned to see Katherine still standing by the door.

"Hi beautiful." I turned to find Jacob dressed as Zorro, standing next to her!

* * *

**NEXT CHAPTER: So you can probably guess who Leah kissed. We get his version of the encounter next chapter and what happened after he stormed off.**

Thanks again for reading! **Please review **and let me know what you think, it just takes a moment ^_^  
If you have any suggestions about the characters or the story let me know.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.

**A/N: **Thank you to, o0FLAM3S0o, laurazuleta18, hgmsnoopy, tdfireproof, hilja, TaylorLautnerLover1, bvc17, Little Emily, perceptiveoceangirl, A. and toshii519 for being awesome and reviewing!

Sorry for being away for so long but life got in the way. I'm busy wedding planning and its taking up a lot of my time, the date is fast approaching. I hope you like the chapter and it makes up for the long wait. I will try to post again soon. ENJOY!

* * *

_I can recall only this one time_  
_This kind of control the girl had on my mind_  
_I fall deep, I can't get out_  
_I've never acted this way before_

Drawing Board by Mest

* * *

**Embry POV**

Before I realized what I was doing, my fingers where entangled in her soft curls as I allowed her to pull me deeper in to the most amazing kiss. She delicately pressed against me, eliciting a reaction from my body that I could barely control. I couldn't believe what was happening, she wanted this and she was enjoying this. It took all my willpower to keep control of my hands, but then I heard the softest moan escape her lips and I almost lost it right then and there.

Everything was perfect for a moment, but a child's screamed from the haunted maze brought me back to reality. _She doesn't know it's you, you idiot!_ I berated myself the instant our lips parted. I looked at her for a moment, her hair fell wildly over her shoulders and I wanted her in my arms again. But I reminded myself for a second time that I was wearing a mask. _She probably thinks it's Jacob_! _Jacob?!_… that sobered me up really quickly and the reminder of him had me running the instant that she moved towards me again.

I was out the door in a flash and swiftly made my way through the crowd of people. The look of confusion on Leah's face as I turned to run told me everything I needed to know. She didn't know it was me, she thought it was Jacob. How could I be so stupid to think that she would do something like that knowing it was _me_ behind the mask? _Idiot._

Running through the crowded halls of the school, I made my way for the exit, pushed through the double doors of the side entrance and ran into the night. The feelings of regret hit me like a ton of bricks, _how could I have done something so stupid?_ It was my turn to patrol but I was afraid to phase. I was afraid that Jacob would still be in wolf-form and he would hear chaotic thoughts. Hoping to get a hold of myself, I ran to the only place I could, home.

Mom was at the Halloween party so the house was empty. I turned the key in the door and headed straight for my room. I peeled off the Batman suite and put on a pair of shorts. Sitting on my bed I let my head fall into my palms and I rubbed my temples as my mind raced. I replayed the scene over and over in my head. Any joy I felt has now been washed away by the guilt I experienced. My silent contemplation was interrupted by a noise at my window and I turned to see what it was.

"Embry! What the hell man? We are suppose to be patrolling." Seth yelled from outside as I approached the window.

"Yah Seth, I'm sorry… something came up." I raked my fingers through my short hair and sighed, "I'll be right out." I put the costume away and locked up the house. Seth was waiting for me in the backyard.

"What happened, you look like shit." Seth said as he looked me over.

"Yah,… I dunno what to do, but I can't really ask anyone for advise… this is all too confusing." I rambled as Seth continued to stare at me with a puzzled look.

"Embry, just phase, let me see what's going on and maybe I can help." He offered.

"I dunno if that's such a good idea Seth?" I said with a pleading look. He gave me a weird stare, but eventually nodded in agreement. For some reason I felt like I needed to tell someone, but I didn't want it getting out. If anything, I wanted Jacob to hear it from me first and not through the random thoughts of one of our pack members. I desperately needed to keep this to myself. I've been working on controlling my thoughts ever since I started having feelings for Leah. So far it's worked. Every time Jacob and I patrol, he's been blissfully unaware of my feelings for his girlfriend. It was difficult at first, but the harder I tried the better I got at it. It must be something we wolves can develop with practice, but the rest of the guys have no reason to hide anything. Let's hope I can do it now…

Seth followed me into the woods and prepared to phase. I took a deep breath and let the freeing jolt of the phase rip through me. Once in wolf-form, I worked to collect my thoughts and emotions.

"_Embry, are you there?_" Seth thought. "_I can feel your presence in my mind but I can't see your thoughts man, this is weird._"

"_Really?"_

"_There you are! Hey how did you do that?_" He was as puzzled as I was. I have never been able to control my thoughts this well.

"_I dunno man, all I'm doing is concentrating on shielding my thoughts…. I feel a huge strain on my will to let go of the mental block though.._."

* * *

**Jacob POV**

Leah stated at me with a bewildered expression. Her eyes darted from me to Katherine and then back to me repeatedly.

"Are you okay?" I finally asked and he eye widened at the sound of my voice.

She furrowed her brow and spoke hesitantly. "Jacob, we need to talk." She turned to walk down the hallway, and I followed immediately. This must be important because the look on her face was very serious. She kept her pace quick, so I let her lead. We walked into her classroom; she turned on the lights and walked to the back of the room. I watched her silently as she stood facing the window, peering into the darkness outside. Her behaviour was beginning to worry me. My stomach turned in anxiety as her shoulders raised and dropped with a great sigh. She finally turned to face me with an expression that I couldn't read.

"Jacob, who came dressed as Batman tonight?" The question caught me off guard.

"What are you talking about Leah?" I replied. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath.

"I thought it was you, a masked avenger and all, with a cape…" he voice trailed off and her eyes fell to floor. I moved towards her but she put up her hand to stop me from coming any closer. "Hold on, I need to tell you this, just give me a moment."

"Then please tell me what's going on because you're killing me right now." My stomach tightened as her eyes came back up to meet mine.

"I kissed someone today." _WHAT!_ My face must have said it all because her expression turned to panic and she darted towards me. "I swear, I thought it was you, he was tall, it was dark, I couldn't see his face, but I could have sworn it was you, and I moved to kiss him, but he pulled back and I thought you were playing hard to get and then I kissed him thinking it was you, but he ran off, so I ran after him, confused, still thinking it was you, but I couldn't understand why you were running and then I saw you talking to Katherine and it wasn't you who I was chasing, because you were right there by the door all along!"

"Whoa there!" I stopped her rambling before she continued. Standing in front of her silently, I tried to process everything she said. "So you kissed someone that you thought was me, but it obviously wasn't…." She just nodded and I could feel her hands shake as she placed one of them on my arm. I sighed deeply, looked her in the eyes and said, "Did he hurt you? Are you okay? Who was it? I swear I'll kill him when I get my hands on him." I felt my inner core burning with rage and I could feel the tremors of the phase vibrating from deep within.

"No Jake, I'm not hurt." She placed her other small hand on mine. Her words brought me a sense of relief, calming me and preventing me from phasing. "I swear Jake, I really thought it was you." I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her to my chest. I buried my face in her soft curly hair and closed my eyes. The intimacy of the moment slowed our breathing to a more manageable pace. I was so relieved that she was okay.

"I'm sorry" she murmured.

I sighed again and said, "It's weird… but it's okay. I believe you." She looked up at me.

"Just like that? You forgive me?" she said with a look of skepticism.

"Do you want me to administer a lie detector test or something? I figure that since you are telling me, you are telling the truth… I have nothing else to go on. It's not like you know who it was, you said it yourself, the guy wore a mask and the whole town is here tonight, it could have been anyone."

We stood there silently for an undisclosed amount of time. I thought about all the possible guys that I could have been… but really how could I find out. It definitely wasn't one of the pack members; they all either have imprints or were out patrolling.

* * *

**Embry POV**

"_This is unreal, all this time we have been sharing thoughts and in one night you have found a way to block it all!_" Seth thought excitedly as we ran the perimeter. "_Hey, can you read my thoughts now?_" I let out a barked laugh. Seth was a quick learner, he was able to keep some of his thoughts to himself just after a couple hours of trying.

"_Hey Seth maybe this is something we can keep to ourselves? Like a secret between brothers…"_ I was relieved to be able to keep my thoughts to myself but I didn't want the rest of the pack to know.

"_Brothers? You think of me as a brother Embry?"_

"_Of course I do buddy. I don't have any siblings… _that I know of_. You're like a little brother to me Seth."_ I really meant that and Seth knew it too because I let out the warm sentimental feelings past my metal wall. Right then his mental block collapsed and I could hear his happy reaction to my words. Seth was a good kid. Leah was lucky to have him. I always wanted a little brother like him.

"_Yah Embry, I think you're right, this may come in handy one day. Better to keep it between us brother."_ He beamed at that last word.

Maybe I could keep this up? Maybe Jacob would never have to find out about what happened. It's not like Leah knew who it was, otherwise she would have never kissed me. Seth and I continued to run patrols for the rest of our shift. By the end I was tired and the only thing I wanted more the _Leah_ right now, was my bed.

* * *

**Leah POV**

Jacob held me close and his warmth was radiating through me, keeping me from shaking. I was still worried that he would change his mind, that he would be angry with me. But he never got angry, he just stood there holding me, until I felt a small twitch in his back muscles. I looked up at him and his head snapped to the door of the classroom.

"There you guys are!" Katherine said as she stood in the doorway. I mentally shot daggers at her, couldn't she see we were having a moment!? She looked at us, accessing the scene and spoke again. "Come you two, you're missing the party! And Jacob, remember you promised me a dance before the nights out." She turned with a smile and departed down the hall towards the gym.

"What? You're going to dance with her and you wouldn't dance with me?" I said narrowing my eyes.

"Oh please, it's a stupid dance, don't tell me that you're jealous Leah." He said rolling his eyes. "She's been bugging me all night. I had to get her to stop badgering me somehow."

"Don't you see Jacob? She likes you, I've told you this before and I don't want you dancing with her." I said firmly.

"Leah, you just kissed another guy…"

"Who I thought was YOU!" I interjected.

"You just kissed another guy nevertheless. I'm going to dance with Katherine because it means nothing to me and I already told her I would."

"I told you I was sorry. It's not like I willing went out of my way to kiss another guy. You on the other hand wouldn't dance with me but you are promising dances to _her?"_

"This is not a big deal. If you really don't want me to dance with her I won't. _Okay?_" Jacob said in defeat.

"Yes, thank you."

"Come here beautiful," he said as he pulled me back into his arms.

"Jacob, I'm tired. Can you drive me home?" I've been here for less then an hour and I already felt like I've been here all night. I guess I was just in no mood to party anymore.

"Sure." He kissed my forehead as he towered over me and we made our way to the parking lot.

_*** Back at home ***_

Jacob dropped me off at home, but I didn't ask him to stay tonight. Mom and Seth were still not home and last thing I wanted was Seth catching Jacob in my bed. That would not be a pretty scene. I laughed lightly at the thought of Seth fuming and maybe even _cursing_ in my doorway if he had walked in on something like that.

I pulled on a t-shirt and shorts, and slipped in to bed. The moment I closed my eyes I began to replay the kiss. It was strange because I had mixed feelings about it. On one had I was mad because I unintentionally kissed someone who was not Jacob. But on the other hand, that kiss was… ummm… hot. There was so much passion behind it that I had a hard time to comprehending that someone might feel that way about me.

A small smile crept across my lips as I remembered every detail of that moment. Now I was curious who it was. I wonder if I would recognize the guy if I met him without the mask.

* * *

Thanks again for reading! **Please review **and let me know what you think, it just takes a moment ^_^  
If you have any suggestions about the characters or the story let me know.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.

**A/N: **Thank you to, o0FLAM3S0o, laurazuleta18, hilja, A. C. nelli, toshii519, tdfireproof, TaylorLautnerLover1, Little Emily, Supernaturallysweet, Cat60041x3 and Twilighter Tabitha for being awesome and reviewing!

There's about 32 people who have subscribed to get updates on this story. It would be great to hear from some of you who dont usually review. **So please take a moment and give me some feedback. Thnx!**

This chapter starts off with a Katherine POV, hopefully it won't be too boring for you all. Sorry for the spelling mistakes. ENJOY!

* * *

_the repetition of a lonely life_  
_somebody tell me why the_  
_heart is waging war against the_  
_friends of the enemy of your mind_

Friends of the Enemy by No Use for a Name

* * *

**Katherine POV**

This room looks exactly how she left it. Uncle Charlie hasn't moved a thing since the last day that Bella was here. I felt like I was intruding, because he treated this room sort of like a shrine to Bella, his little girl. My heart goes out to him because I can't even begin to imagine what it is like to lose a child. There are still days that I come home and find him sitting on the edge of the bed just looking at the bulletin board full of her drawings and photos over the desk. But it has been years and this type of behavior wasn't healthy…

"Uncle Charlie?" I said softly as we sat at the kitchen table.

"Yes Kat?" He looked up at me from his dinner plate.

"I was thinking…" I started cautiously "Would it be okay if I made a few changes to the spare bedroom?" He looked as if he was holding his breath and I instantly regretted asking him that question. I held my breath waiting for an answer.

"Umm Kat,… I dunno, I mean it was Bella's room and I would like… " He closed his eyes for a moment and stopped as if to collect his thoughts. "Did you mom put you up to this?" He said eying me.

"No, but mom did ask about how you've been doing and I told her the truth."

"The truth?" he said with a raised eyebrow.

I looked down guiltily and nodded my head. "Yes, I told her about you sitting in the spare bedroom, looking at her drawings and pictures. I also told her about the nightmares."

"What nightmares?"

"Uncle Charlie, there are so many nights that you are yelling out for Bella, crying and asking her not to leave you alone…" He gave me a surprised look.

"I am… well, I'm sorry you had to hear that. I didn't think I was talking out loud in my sleep."

"And you never have Billy Black over anymore to watch games with you."

"Well,.. that's because of Jacob." I was surprised at his answer.

"Don't be like that; you know full well that Jacob had nothing to do with what happened to Bella. He jumped in to save her and almost died trying!" He broke his eye contact with me once I finished my sentence. He knew I was right, but it was his way of dealing with the loss of his daughter. He needed someone to blame, no matter how unfair or unjustified the blame was.

"I'm sorry" he looked at me through tear glazed eyes. I reached across the table and took him hand.

"It's okay Uncle Charlie. I understand, but I don't want you to shut the world out because of this. It's not healthy and you know it." I paused and he nodded in agreement. "I think that the school will be extending me an offer to stay on staff permanently so I'm going to need a place to stay. I don't want to intrude any more then I already have so I'm going to start looking for a place of my own."

He looked up at me with wide eye. "Absolutely not, why would you waste your money paying for rent if you can just stay here?!"

"Well, this really isn't my place, nothing here is mine. Like I said before I feel like I'm intruding."

"I want you to stay and I'll be okay with any changes you want to make…. Starting with _your_ room. Bella isn't coming back, you are right,.. and it doesn't help me to try to live in the past. I want you to feel like this is your home too."

I smiled widely. "Really?! You mean it?" He nodded smiling back. "Thank you Uncle Charlie! You're the best."

_*** Later in the week ***_

One of the first things I wanted to do was to paint the room. The room was so dark and it needed a fresh and lively coat of paint. Uncle Charlie and I went through all of Bella's stuff and put away anything he wanted to keep, the rest we donated to the local women's shelter. Hesitantly, I started to move things around the room. The feelings of guilt ran through me as I started to rearrange the furniture until the room looked completely different. Happy with the new arrangement I began to clean the hardwood floors with a Swiffer. As I ran along the wall where the bed stood, I noticed a small string stuck in between the floor boards. I tugged at it gently but it would give, so I added a little force and to my surprise the floor board came up with it.

"Shit!" I exclaimed as I looked from the floor to the piece of floor board in my hand. I was about to put it back, but as I pulled on the string I noticed that the string was glued to the piece of wood. _That's weird_, I thought and looked over to the hole in the floor. I reached in and pulled out a small leather bound notebook. I opened it and reader the first page…

"The Diary of _Bella Swan_" Holy SHIT! I closed the notebook right away, placing it on floor in front of me as I kneeled by the opening in the floor. _Is this wrong, reading my dead cousin's diary?_ My thoughts were torn. _No I really shouldn't do this_. I wanted nothing more, then to learn anything and everything that Bella knew about Fork and all the people in it. However, I still felt like I was intruding on her privacy.

_But what if there is something in there that could help me make Uncle Charlie move past her death?!_ Deep inside I know I opened that notebook again for selfish reasons, but maybe there was something in there that could ease his pain.

_**** Hours Later ****_

The sound of Uncle Charlie's cruiser broke my concentration. I tore my eyes away from the notebook and looked outside. Uncle Charlie pulled in to the drive-way and along side of the road there was a burgundy pickup truck. He walked up to the truck and I recognized the person sitting in the passenger seat. Jacob!

Suddenly, I realized that I was dressed in my cleaning clothes and I rushed in to the bathroom to wash my face. I fixed my hair.. kind of…, and ran back in to my room to change in to something clean.

"Kat, I'm home and I brought company," Uncle Charlie yelled as he walked through the door. I checked myself one more time and headed down to meet them.

"Hi Uncle Charlie, how was your day?" I said smiling as Jacob wheeled his dad through the front door. Uncle Charlie walked up to me, giving me a half hug and kissed me on the forehead just like my dad use to.

"It was okay." Then he leaned in and whispered "I took your advice and talked things out with Billy. Thank you." I looked up at him smiling and nodded in satisfaction. "So what's for dinner Kat?" He asked as he set a six-pack of beer on the kitchen table.

"I made chilly, it's in the slow-cooker, help yourself. There's enough for everyone." I said as Billy rolled in to the kitchen. I turned to see Jacob behind me leaning against the door frame, smiling. His stare made me blush, as always.

"Hi Katherine." The sound of his voice sent chills down my spine. I've never been this captivated by a guy. The way my name rolled of his tongue was beautiful. He was … beautiful.

"Hi" I breathed.

"So shall we eat?" Billy budded in, looking at us.

"Yup, sure thing. The food is ready, I was just keeping it warm." I said while blushing.

I walked across the kitchen and opened one of the cupboards to take out the bowls. It seems that someone tall put them away last because I could barely reach them this time. Standing on my tippy-toes, I reached for the bowls and a warm hand brushed against mine.

"I'll get them" Jacob said in a low gruff voice that reverberated against my skin. I could feel the warmth of his presence and I closed my eyes as I took in his scent. He smelt amazing, like fresh air and autumn leaves.

"Umm thanks." I managed to choke out as he handed me the bowls, standing just inches away from me. I quickly turned on my heels and walked over to the slow-cooker, knowing very well that the two adults in the room were watching us intently.

Everyone settled in to eat dinner. Charlie and Billy kept up the conversation while we ate; while I stole forbidden glances in Jacob's directions whenever I thought it was safe to look. I knew very well that Jacob was with Leah, but those dimples and that perfect smile was hard to resist. It didn't help that he was always looking my way, or how intently he listened to me when we talked, and how he always managed to get in close proximity of me. I think I even caught him smelling my hair once.

Leah and I were friends, as far as I knew and I didn't want to ruin that because I didn't have any other friends here. It's hard to be attracted to someone you can't have. It's not like I didn't try... I went out with Embry, we just didn't click. The whole night I spent wishing that I was with Jacob, but I didn't want to be a home-wrecker. That's not the way I was raised. That is not who I was... I felt my mind wage war against my heart every time he smiled at me.

I know that he was close to Bella before she died and I intend to find out how close. Thanks to find her diary, I now will know everything I need to know.

* * *

**Jacob POV**

Since the Halloween party I couldn't get the image of Leah kissing someone else out of my head. It was driving me insane. I laid in my small bed, staring at the ceiling, going over the list of possible suspects. Mind you there might have been some visitors at the school that night… A knock on the front door broke my silent contemplation. I heard my dad roll up to the front door and open it.

"Hi Billy" The voice sounded familiar but I couldn't pin point its owner.

After a short pause my dad answered. "How can I help you Chief Swan?"_ Bella's dad was here?!_ I shot up in my bed and headed for the door, so that I could hear the conversation clearly.

"Please Billy, don't be so formal… I'm here because I want to talk to you. Do you have a few minutes?" Charlie said.

"Speak." My dad's voice was cold.

"Can I come in at least?"

"You can say what you need to say at the door. There is no reason why I should be pleasant to you and invite you in." Dad said harshly and I cringed at his tone.

Charlie sighed audibly and began to speak. He apologized profusely for his past behavior, for putting the blame on me for Bella's death and for isolating Billy during a time when he needed him the most, right after Harry's death. After Charlie was finished, there was a long and painful pause between the two of them, and I stood tensed on the other side of the door, waiting for my dad to speak.

"I'm sorry too Charlie, I'm sorry that I wasn't sensitive to your situation. I know that I would be devastated if anything ever happened to any one of my kids." This time my dad's voice was different. It was as if he was about to break into tears. "I missed you buddy, get inside." I heard them move to the living room and they continued to talk and apologize to each other for being idiots to let their friendship fall apart when they needed each other the most.

I walked back to my bed and sprawled out, ready to stare at the ceiling when dad called for me. Charlie and dad were waiting for me in the living room, as I enter. Charlie began to apologize to me as well, and I couldn't help but get teary-eyed. I loved Bella with all my heart and nothing hurt me more then Charlie blaming me for her death. Having him in front of me, asking for forgiveness for the way he treated me helped me more then you can imagine. I couldn't be mad at him.

We ended up at Charlie's house, eating Katherine's delicious home-made chilly just hours later. Charlie invited us to watch the game with him and there was no way either one of us would say no to a home cooked meal. Being in that house made me nostalgic. The smell of the house as I walked in took me over. I felt young again, and I felt the anticipation I always did waiting for Bella to descend down the staircase to meet me at the door. This time it wasn't Bella, but Katherine was a good replacement for that memory. Her smile reminded me of Bella's smile, and that was good enough for me.

We sat quietly across the table from each other as Charlie and my dad continued to catch up. I caught her looking over at me several times and every time I did, the blush crept up to her cheeks. It was so damn cute.

The rest of the evening was uneventful. I helped Katherine clean up after dinner and we watched the game with Charlie. Soon, the game was over and it was time for us to head out.

"So ummm, Jacob, can I drop by tomorrow? I need you to take a look at the car for me." Katherine said shyly as we stood on the porch.

"Kat honey, I told you I would look at it for you." Charlie pipped in.

"It's okay, I don't mind. I don't have any appointments scheduled for tomorrow." I interjected, not breaking my stare in Katherine's direction. She shifted uncomfortably and looked at Charlie.

"You've been promising that for a month Uncle Charlie! Don't be offended, I know you are busy. If Jacob has time, I'm just going to bring the car over to his shop tomorrow." She looked slightly guilty for not telling him ahead of time.

"Alright, you both have a point. Just make sure you check the breaks and all Jacob, and let me know if she needs new tires, winter is coming soon and I don't want her sliding all over the roads." I nodded and Charlie relaxed visibly.

"I'll see you tomorrow then Katherine." I said with a wink.. _why did I just wink?_ Thanks to the wink I was rewarded with another cute blush, which made the cheesy wink worth it.

**** The next day ****

It was weird, Embry has been very scares the last couple of weeks. First, he took some time off, saying that he needed to help his mom, which was fine because we weren't that busy anyway. Then, on the days he was in, you could barely get a word out of him. Something was bothering him but I couldn't get it out of him.

"Hey Jake, I'm going to the store, you want anything?" Embry offered.

"Yah, get me a root beer and some Sour Cherry Blasters, thanks man." I replied and Embry was out the door in a flash. _What's with that guy?_

I heard a car pull up and without turning around I said, "Did you forget your wallet or something?"

"No, I have it with me." Someone replied in a soft voice. I turned around to see Katherine standing at the door.

"Well hello there Kat" She smiled at me.

"Hi, are you busy?" She asked.

"No, not at all. Bring the car in and I'll take a look at it." She pulled the car in to the garaged and popped the hood. I moved to the front of the car and secured the hood upright so that I could take a closer look at everything. Kat got out of the car and moved next to me.

"Oh damn, this doesn't look good." She said as she looked under the hood.

"Why do you say that?" I asked curiously.

"Look at it, it's so rusty and dirty." I gave a laugh in response.

"That's just the regular amount of dirt, and your car isn't brand new or anything. You can't expect everything under the hood to be shiny and new."

"Oh…." She said softly.

The hairs on my right hand stood on end as her arm brushed past mine. I could hear her gently breathing as I felt a pull towards her. She suddenly stiffened and stood up and I followed, turning towards her as I straightened. She looked up at me and instantly I was swimming in her sapphire eyes. My right hand longed for her touch again and it snaked around her waist as if it had a mind of its own. She stared up at me with wide eyes when our skin connected, she must have felt it too, the pull.., because she took one step towards me to close the final gap between us. My face hung over hers and it felt as if inch by inch we were closing the distance between our lips.

Just as we were a mere two inches apart a deep growl startled us both and my eyes snapped up to the garage door where Embry stood. He was fuming, fits clenched, staring at us.

* * *

Jacob thinks Embry is pissed because he was just about to kiss Katherine. But what will happen when he finds out the real reason why Embry is angry? And will Embry reveal the reason why he has been so distant? Will Katherine learn something about Bella's past that will reveal the secrets of the La Push wolf-pack?

So many questions...

Thanks again for reading! **Please review **and let me know what you think, it just takes a moment ^_^  
If you have any suggestions about the characters or the story let me know.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.

**A/N: **Thank you to, Highfly, perceptiveoceangirl, bvc17, LaPush Princess13, o0FLAM3S0o, hgmsnoopy, tdfireproof, hilja, A. C. nelli, toshii519, laurazuleta18, Little Emily, KATRINA, Twilighter Tabitha for being awesome and reviewing!

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**The Embry vs. Jacob fight in this chapter was written in collaboration with tdfireproof**. He's super awesome at writing fight scenes. So BIG THANKS to tdfireproof for his help *hugs for td* Go read his story "The Volturi Army Arises" (id:5470468) because there are plenty of more fight scenes in that story.

* * *

_Tip-toeing villian_  
_Eyes in the ceiling_  
_Your false intentions have warn thin_  
_But we've been in your room  
and in your closet too_  
_We've got one on you_

Lies by Billy Talent

* * *

**Katherine POV**

Sitting on the bed, I stared across the room, trying to keep myself from opening the journal again. The first few entries were pretty basic. Bella wrote about school in Phoenix and about her growing suspicions about her mom's desire to go on the road with Phil, Aunt Renee's boyfriend. I stopped reading when the entries were about the day she moved to Forks.

It was nice to know that I was not the only one who thought this place was murky and depressing. I found it very strange that my thoughts of the place were almost word for word, what she thought of it. Since I closed it last, I promised myself not to open it. I was afraid of what I might find. _What if Bella was involved in something illegal or inappropriate? What if the journal implicated someone I knew for being involved in her death, which was ruled an accident?..._ So many questions ran through my head.

Moments later I lifted myself steadily of the bed and picked up the journal. Looking for the creased corner of the page I read last, I sat back down on the bed and immersed myself in Bella's thoughts.

* * *

**Leah POV**

"You did _what_?!" Sophie exclaimed and I moved the phone away from my ear in reaction.

"Yah, I know… but like I said in the first place, I thought it was _Jacob_." I tried to explain myself again.

"This is insane! La Push has more drama then day-time television. Next, you'll find out that the person you _actually_ kissed is your long lost brother from another mother, and he's a doctor, who has an incurable disease, with 2 months to live." She sounded serious, paused… and then burst out laughing.

"You're _not_ funny S!"

"It may not be funny to _you,_ but it's sure as hell is funny to me Leah. I have never met anyone so prone to getting herself in to drama-filled situations."

"It's not like I do it on purpose." I reasoned.

"True, but I think it has a lot to do with La Push in general. Think about it… it was never this bad here in Seattle." She was right, back in Seattle, I was never involved in this much drama. Now that I'm home, Maury Povich could do a one-hour special on my life.

I sighed deeply and said, "this really sucks…"

"Cheer up, it's not that bad. You told Jacob and he was cool about right? It's not like you knew… Jacob didn't make a big deal out of it and didn't break up with you for it. So it must mean that he really cares about you." Sophie was trying to make me feel better.

"Yeah, or it means that he doesn't care enough to get mad about it." I pointed out. "If he had made a big deal out of it, I would have known for sure that he cares but now I'm undecided about the strength of his feelings."

"You've been with him for two months now. It's better to figure things out now before you get too emotionally involved."

"But I already am." I care a lot about Jacob. More then I thought was possible in such a short time. However, I sometimes get the feeling like he's not all mine, as if his mind or heart is somewhere else. Maybe a part of him was lost the day Bella died and now he's damaged with a part of him missing forever. Or maybe it's Katherine. Her striking resemblance to Bella might be having a greater affect on him then I originally suspected. Maybe there is a part of him that likes all of her attention a little more then he should.

"Helloooo Leah. You still there?"

"Yeah. Sorry my thoughts took over." Sophie knew how I was, so she wasn't surprised by my reply.

"Leah, when did you start having doubts about him?"

"Since Katherine came to town. I saw how she looked at him and how he stared at her. I swear it was just like Sam stared at Emily. Also, since the night of the Halloween party, I've been thinking…"

"Since you kissed a random stranger?"

"Mhmm, you can put it that way. Anyway, that kiss was amazing, like nothing I've ever experienced. I can't stop thinking about it. It was exhilarating and so hot." I ran through the scene again in my head, just as I have been doing for these last few weeks. "So it made me think; If I can feel like that even for a moment with someone else, then does that mean that Jacob is not the right person for me?"

"Leah, all I can say is that all this drama is tiring. Sooner or later you're going to get fed up. No one wants to be in a relationship, where they have to worry about and supervise the person who they are with." She was right; it was exhausting thinking about Jacob and Katherine all the time.

"I hate it when you are right S." I admitted.

"It's just my intuition my dear Leah. In the end you have to decide what is right for you."

"Thanks Sophie." _What would I do with her?!_

* * *

**Embry POV**

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Jacob had his arm around Katherine and was about to kiss her. _He was about to hurt Leah_, and at that thought a low growl escaped my lips. The two of them must have heard it because they jumped apart and looked guiltily in my directions.

"Uh.. hi Embry. You're back so soon." Jacob finally said after staring at me for several moments.

"What the hell are you doing?" I said dangerously.

"Maybe, I should leave." Said the home-wrecker as she looked from me Jacob to me and back to him. He turned to her and nodded in agreement, so she turned and quickly walked through the side door. I saw her walking down the road to the school with my peripheral vision, but I kept my stare directed at Jacob.

"I'm only going to ask you one more time Jacob. What the hell was all that about?" I asked, as I started to tremble in rage, walking towards him.

"Hey Embry… calm down,…umm nothing was happening." I nodded trying to restrain the outright rage coursing through my veins. He didn't even have the decency to tell the truth. This ungrateful bastard didn't deserve Leah. I cocked my arm and launched my fist connecting with his eye and cheek. He went down like a sack of hammers.

I shook out my knuckles feeling that one might be broken and bit my lip in reaction to the pain in my hand. He shook his head out as he started to get up, so I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and ran him up against the wall. He bounced off of it once and I threw him against the wall a second time, knocking tools off their hanger. The tools crashed to the floor with a loud clang and a cloud of dust came off of from the brick wall behind him.

I had always been able to hold my own against Jacob in a fight, not in wolf form… he was definitely the alpha wolf, but like this, I always did pretty well for myself. He regained full consciousness and swung hitting my temple causing me to go down. As I came back up he pushed me away with a bone crushing kick which knocked the wind out of me. I stood back up as he came towards me. I planted my shoulder in to his hip as he charged, but he caught me in a headlock and I was losing air quickly. I couldn't shake him off so I ran him backwards in to the wall. He released his grasp and I pulled him off of me then pushed him to the ground behind me. I turned to face him.

"Embry why the hell are you tweaking? It's not like I was cheating with your girl or something, you never connected with Katherine!" He looked confused.

"You think that skanky bitch has anything to do with this!" I said tensing my entire upper body.

"Hey, don't call her that! She didn't deserve that." Jacob defended her which only pissed me off more. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"How can you defend her? And how can you do this to Leah. You have the most amazing girl in the world. Leah is beautiful, smart and sweet. How could you do this to her?!" I realized that I was yelling but I couldn't help it. I was so pissed, I wanted to rip his head off.

"This is about Leah? Embry, I didn't do anything. You saw it, nothing happened."

"Don't give me that shit Jacob. If I didn't come in at that exactly moment, the two of you would be swapping spit in an instant. You're an ungrateful bastard Jacob. Somehow you've managed to charm your way into Leah life. You have a girl that I would kill to have, and you still can't keep it in your pants!" Jacob narrowed his eyes and his forehead creased in anger.

"Embry, what did you go to the Halloween party dressed as?" I smirked evilly in response.

"Batman."

"You son of a bitch! _It was you_! You kissed Leah… You always liked her… you're the guy who kissed her at the Halloween party aren't you?" Jacob said as he trembled before phasing in to wolf-form and charging at me. I phased only in time to be caught with a head butt to my chest sending me through the brick wall. He watched me crash through it and then stalked after me.

I rolled over to my feet and met him teeth to teeth. He lunged at me, seconds later we were on our hind legs reaching for each others throats. I knew I could never beat Jacob in wolf-form, he was stronger and faster than me but I wouldn't give up. He pulled me by my hide as his teeth sunk in to me. I felt a quick tug and then I was flying through the air until I felt a tree crack under my body. Rolling to my feet, I could feel the pain in my spine. With one quick glance over my shoulder I ran deeper into the woods.

Jacob followed and when we came in to a small clearing, I turned to him and met him head on. We locked fangs and he threw me back to the ground again. He put pressure with one paw in the center of my chest as he breathed heavily against my snout. Then a pain ripped through me as he clawed me across my chest and down my side. I roared in pain and protest, trying to escape but he sunk his teeth in to my left knee and I roared out in pain again.

Sweeping with my paw, I caught the side of his face with my claws but it didn't stop him from running in to me with his forehead, straight in to my ribs, breaking a couple and sending me flying. I barely made it to my feet before he was on me again I opened my mouth over his right shoulder and bit down with all my might. He must have been thinking the same thing because I felt pain shoot up my right shoulder as well.

I hadn't even noticed that Jared, Paul and Seth had arrived. It was the arrival of Sam that stopped the fight as he physically restrained Jacob with the help of Seth while I was held back by Paul and Jared. Their thought sent my mind into a spiral, but Sam orders to calm down rang through my mind load and clear. I phased back as the adrenaline finally started to wear off and Collin ran towards me with a pair of sweatpants.

The pain shot through me the moment I tried to move and I bit my tongue to keep from screaming in pain as I clasped my knee with my left arm. I rolled on my back trying to take the pressure off of my knee but it didn't help alleviate any of the pain. The blood pouring out of my knee felt warm as it made its way down my leg. Next, I felt the pain from the wounds across my chest and remembered that Jacob clawed me. I looked at my hand that was across my chest and all I saw was blood.

"Embry, try to put these on." Collin urged and I tried to reach down but pain shot through my body in every direction. He winced in sympathy and took the pants from my hand, helping me to put them on. I felt warm arms wrapping around my body and I was lifted in to the air.

"Come on slugger, We gotta get you to the hospital." Jared said with a smile. Paul and Jared had hoisted me up to a standing position facing Sam. He shook his head.

"No we can't… I called Sue, she's a nurse and she'll help patch you up, but we can't have you guys going to the hospital they will ask questions."

"What if he's got internal bleeding?" Collin protested but I shook my head.

"He's right Collin, I would have to explain how I got these wounds. Sue will tell us if we need a doctor or not, so come on. Let's go because I'm starting to feel lightheaded from all the blood I lost already." They all looked down to my pants and saw that the blood stain around my knee was growing. Collin took his shirt, ripping it in half, tied it just above the knee.

"That should slow the blood flow. Get in the back of the truck and keep it elevated above your heart." I nodded as Jared and Paul helped me to the truck.

Jacob was sitting in the back of the pick-up with his back against the cab. He eyed me intensely as I crawled up, wincing in pain. The rest of the guys got in and started talking to us, but for the most part we ignored them, continuing with our silent battle.

Sue's voice broke my concentration as the truck pulled in to the Clearwater's driveway.

"Oh my god! Are you boys insane?! Sam, they look like they have been mauled by bears." Sue exclaimed as she looked at my chest.

"Sue, that's probably the best explanation we can give people if they ask, so let us stick with that story." Sue looked me over as Paul helped me out.

"Embry Call, what am I going to tell your mother?" She said worriedly.

I shrugged and replied. "I would appreciate if you didn't tell her anything at all. Can I stay here?"

"Yeah mom, let Embry stay here while he heals." Seth interjected as he propped me up and started walking with me up the driveway. Sue just stared at my bleeding leg and shook her head.

"Jacob you father is on his way." Sue said as she looked at Jacob, assessing his shoulder which had a gruesome crown of teeth marks around it. "You're going to need stitches. Okay, in you go, but stay in the kitchen, I don't want blood on the couches." She warned and Sam relayed the message to the rest of the guys.

Sue set up in the kitchen, inspecting our wounds, disinfecting with stinging liquids and literally sewing us up. Her love of disinfectant must have rubbed off on her daughter because Leah had the same fondness for the devilishly painful substance, which I have experienced first hand. Jacob and I took turns on the operating table, a.k.a. the kitchen table. We were both ready to pass out at anytime from the pain.

My knee took the longest to fix. Sue gave me a grave look as she inspected it.

"Son, this doesn't look good." She said as she looked closer.

"Mom, is Embry going to be okay?" Seth said sadly from the kitchen door.

"Seth, please go back to the living room. If I need you, I'll call on you. Embry will be just fine dear." Sue replied in an authoritative tone that smoothed out in the last sentence. She then looked up at me and sighed deeply, returning to her inspection.

"How does it look?" I was afraid to ask but I was also anxious to know. She finished cleaning off the dried blood.

"It looks okay. It should be fine with several stitches." At her words I breathed a sigh of relief.

When she was done, Seth gave me a change of clothes and helped me up to his room. Billy, along with Jared and Sam took Jacob home. Before they left Sam gave me a stern look and said, "I'll be back, then you and I will have a talk."

* * *

NEXT CHAPTER: So Embry will be staying at Leah's house... wonder what will happen ^_^. We will see how Sam reacts to the news about Jacob's extracurricular activities with the new teacher (Katherine). AND will Jacob and Leah stay together, or is Leah sick of all the drama?

* * *

Thanks again for reading! **Please review **and let me know what you think, it just takes a moment ^_^  
If you have any suggestions about the characters or the story let me know.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.

**A/N: **Thank you to o0FLAM3S0o, bvc17, tdfireproof, perceptiveoceangirl, LaPush Princess13, sentinel10, hgmsnoopy, laurazuleta18, hilja, Little Emily, TaylorLautnerLover1, Twilighter Tabitha, toshii519, trutzzz and LaughLoveLeah611 for being awesome and reviewing!

**Thanks for the reviews!** Hope you like this chapter as well.

* * *

_Bandages on my legs and my arms from you_  
_Bandages, bandages, bandages_  
_Up and down on my legs my arms from you_  
_Bandages, bandages, bandages_  
_These bandages cover more than scrapes_  
_cuts and bruises from regrets and mistakes_

Bandages by Hot Hot Heat

* * *

**Jacob POV**

We sat in the back of the truck and I winced at every dump in the road. My whole body ached and it took me all my strength not to pass out from the pain shooting down my arm from my shoulder where Embry bit me. After everything that happened today, I couldn't help but regret my actions. _What a fucken mess!_ I thought to myself. I looked up and across the back of the truck to Sam staring at me intensely. The look in his eyes told me that our next conversation would not be a pleasant one. I sighed deeply at the thought of having to tell him why Embry and I were at each other's throats.

At the house, Jared and Sam helped Billy out of the truck and in to the house. I started to inch my way out of the back of the truck but figured it might be better to have my conversation with Sam outside where there might be witnesses. He returned with a grim look on his face and Jared by his side.

"So Black, what the hell is going on around here? What the crap did I miss?" He crossed his arms across his chest towering over me as I sat on the tailgate.

"Well it all started like this... so Embry thought that I was about to kiss Kat, which I'm not sure if I was going to or not but that's beside the point. Embry jump to conclusions and flipped out. See, Embry likes Leah, he kissed her at the Halloween party. Actually, Leah kissed him thinking it was me but it was actually Embry who's been in love with her since,.. god knows for how long. But he's been hiding it. So I got pissed because he kissed my girl and he was pissed because he thought I was going to break Leah's heart. Tempers ran high and we got in to it. It just went too far that's all." I shrugged and looked down because I didn't want to see Sam's judgmental stare.

"You idiot!" Sam exclaimed after a moment of silence. "What if one of you was killed today? Don't you know your own strength?" His hands were shaking and without warning his fist connected with my nose. "I _told you_ not to get involved with Leah Clearwater. I knew how this would end, I knew you would hurt her!" He yelled as I groaned holding my bleeding nose. Warm blood dripped down my face as I adjusted my nose back into place.

"What the fuck Sam? I didn't do anything!" I couldn't believe he just hit me like that.

"Don't play dumb with me Jacob. I saw it in Embry's mind. That was not an innocent moment with the new teacher. You knew exactly where it was headed and you ignored your internal warning signs, prompting you to pull back. You just don't know how to be faithful." My shoulders slumped at his words. Maybe he was right, maybe I wasn't capable of being in a relationship. "Jacob, if you can't be faithful, if you can be completely committed to her then leave her now before you do more damage. One day you'll meet your imprint and you won't have these problems because you won't be able to think of anyone else but your imprint. Until then you should think twice before you get in to a relationship with anyone."

"This sucks" was all I could say. There were no other words which could explain what I thought of this whole situation. I can hardly believe how I've been acting. Just weeks ago, I was head over heels falling for Leah, and then Katherine showed up. My stomach turned inside out at the thought of having to end it with Leah, but it was the right thing to do.

* * *

**Seth POV**

There was blood everywhere. A vampire would feel like a kid in a candy store if they were in my kitchen right now. Mom went to take a shower, she needed to clean up and relax after the afternoon she had. I could see the worry on her face when we brought in Jacob and Embry. If it wasn't for her, we would have a lot of problems right now. I don't know how we would have been able to explain to the doctors at the hospital how the guys got their injuries. After throwing the last of the bloody towels in to laundry machine, I grabbed the bottle of Advil and a glass of water, making my way up to see Embry, but a knock on the door stopped me mid stride.

"Hey Sam" I said as I ushered him in.

"How's Embry doing?" he said right away.

"I was about to check on him." I motioned for Sam to follow me upstairs. I knocked lightly and opened the door. As we walked in, Embry pulled himself up in to a sitting position and winced when he adjusted his bandaged leg.

"You look rough." Sam said as he looked at Embry.

"Thanks Sam, that's sweet of you to say, I _feel_ super." Embry retorted sarcastically.

"Hey, don't be like that Embry. Sam's here to check up on you. So what's with the attitude?" I asked. Embry is usually nicer then that.

"You mean he's not here to give me shit for fighting Jacob?"

"Actually, I'm here to thank you." Sam said unemotionally, while he stood by the door. "If I had found his kissing Katherine, I would have done the same thing." My head snapped back to Sam and my eyes practically popped out of my head.

"He did _what?_" I exclaimed.

"He didn't kiss her" Embry was quick to correct him, "but he was about to and probably would have if I hadn't showed up." I stood there processing this new information with my mouth gaping. Once it all sunk in, anger started to spread through me like wild fire. I pictured my dear Leah crying as she sat on her bed hugging her knees to her chest, tears running down her cheeks. _How could Jacob do this to her?! _My hands balled in to fists and I felt the urge to phase and to rip in to Jacob myself.

"Whoa there kid. Just calm down Seth." Sam said as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Remember where you are. You're inside the house and you don't want to hurt anyone. Embry did a fine job standing up for your sister. So I don't want anymore fighting."

"What? He can't just do shit like that and get away with it! I'm her brother; I have every right to try to smash his face in."

Embry laughed and said, "Seth, get real, I'm twice your size and I got my ass handed to me. What makes you think that you would get close enough to Jake to smash his face in?" I let out a frustrated growl and had the urge to stomp my feet like a child.

"So what am I suppose to do? Just sit around and wait for him to break her heart?" I said throwing my hands up dramatically.

"He's going to break up with her." Sam said.

"What?!" Embry and I replied in unison.

"I talked to him and told him that if he can't be faithful to her, every minute of every day for the rest of his life then he should just break up with her now." The image of Leah crying filled my thoughts again when Sam spoke.

"He agreed to that?" Embry was still taken back by Sam's words.

"Yes, but that doesn't leave you free and clear to move in either Embry." Sam narrowed his eyes at Embry who looked down guiltily.

"What? Embry? No way, he doesn't like Leah." Now Sam was just being ridiculous. Is he going to suspect every unimprinted wolf of going after my sister?

"Actually Seth…" I turn to Embry as he began to speak and I cut him off.

"Not you too! Dammit, is my sister the only available girl on the reservations?! Why can't you guys just leave her alone?" An angry tone began to creep back into my voice and I couldn't help balling my hands in to fists again.

"Wait, let me explain Seth. I liked her for a long time, even before all this shit happened. When she came back from Seattle, my feeling for her surfaced without me even knowing it at first. When I _did_ realize what was going on, it was already too late because Jacob had made his move." Embry paused and closed his eye momentarily. "All I want is for Leah to be happy. I will not do anything right now. I just want to be her friend and that's probably what she will need once Jacob breaks up with her."

"Oh god, she's going to be devastated. I don't even want to think about her reaction." I said desperately as I raked one hand through my hair. "What if she runs again?!" I tried not to panic.

"Seth calm down." Sam said.

"So what do we tell Leah when she comes home?" Embry asked.

"We don't tell her anything. Jacob has to tell her he wants to end it with her." _I'm not getting involved in this, it's Jacob's mess to clean up_, I thought.

"No, I don't mean about him breaking up with her. I meant about what happened to us. I'm sure she'll notice the fact I'm hanging out in your room, busted and broken, with bandages covering at least one third of my body." Embry explained.

"Yes, about that. Jacob is going to say that a bear showed up and started to rummage through your shop, catching you guys unaware. You guys tried to get out but it cornered you and you had to fight it off." Sam said. "There have been reports of bears in the area. It's coming close to winter and they are scavenging for food before hibernation. So it's a likely story. Paul went over to the shop and closed the place up."

"That will probably work." At least I hoped it would.

* * *

**Leah POV**

I pulled in to the driveway just as the front door opened. Sam stepped out followed by Seth. Sam said something to Seth and gave him a nudge on the shoulder before turning to leave but stopped when he saw me emerge from the car.

"Sam, what are you doing here?" I wasn't sure if I should be concerned.

"Yeah, everything will be just fine. I gotta go, I'll see you around." He turned quickly and started making his way down the road with great strides. _Wait… what did he mean by everything _will_ be just fine?_ I stood there for another moment until I couldn't see his retreating figure from a distance anymore. I concluded that I could probably get something out of Seth and I walked hastily in to the house. Just as I put my purse down on the table by the door, it began to buzz. I fished through the purse for my cell phone, pulling it out, found a text message from Jacob.

Jake txt [_Plz call me or just come over asap._]

_What's with the urgent cryptic messages?_ I thought as I put my shoes back on and headed out the door.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Billy was sitting on the porch as I pulled up to the house. I got out of the car and waved.

"Hi Billy, you know, it's really cold. Maybe you should go inside before you get sick or something." I suggested and he smiled back at my words.

"You're just like your mom, always worrying about everyone. Don't worry, I'm dressed warm and I need the fresh air, it's been a long day." _Did I miss something?_

"Is Jake inside?" I said promptly, I needed to know what was so urgent that he needed me to come over as soon as possible.

"Yes, he's in his room. Go on in." Billy motioned for the door and I went inside.

I knocked on the door to Jake's room but there was no answer. I opened the door quietly and peeked in. Jacob was in bed, his rhythmic breathing indicating that he was sleeping. I quietly crept over to the side of the bed and sat at the edge. He must have felt the shift in the mattress because he stirred from his sleep and opened his tired eyes. He turned his face to me and I saw the bandages covering the left side of his jaw and shoulder.

"Oh my god Jake, what the hell happened to you?" Blood seeped through the center of the bandages and I couldn't help but panic at the sight of it.

"Leah, I'm okay. I swear I'll be fine." He tried to calm me down as he took my hand in his, but it didn't work because there were more bandages on his arms.

"What happened?" was all I could say as I looked him over. He looked like he'd been in a car wreck.

"It's nothing serious, I'll heal quickly, so there's nothing to worry. Embry and I kinda got in to a fight with a bear." He said as he looked away.

"What? How the hell did that happened?" I was in shock, how did these guys survive a fight with a bear.

"We were working away around lunch time, when all of a sudden we heard a loud growl at the door of the shop. We turned to find a bear slowly approaching us. He must have smelled the food we were eating. We had no way out and he grabbed Embry first, then went for me. He must have realized that we weren't tasty so he let us go and wandered off in to the woods behind the shop. The elders have sent a search party for it."

"My poor Jake, that's horrible."

"But that's not why I called you here Leah. We need to talk." He said quickly before I moved closer to comfort him.

"Well, I have something to talk to you about too, but in the circumstances, I think I can wait to tell you later." I was going to tell him today that I think we need to break up. I spent the whole day thinking about what Sophie said and she was right. My relationship with Jacob attracted too much drama. As much as I care for him, this just didn't feel right because there was something missing between us.

"You first then. I want to hear what you have to say." He prompted.

I shook my head and said, "Jake this is really not the time for this conversation. It can wait." But he was not going to take no for answer.

"Please Leah, tell me what's on your mind. I need to know." He was practically begging and for a moment I had a change of heart. He needed me to take care of him. I looked at his swollen nose and his bandaged shoulder. There was no way I could do this to him right now.

"No, really this can wait."

"Fine, then I'll go… Leah I think we should break up." I looked at him is shock. _What?! Is he really breaking up with me?_ I couldn't believe my ears. "I'm sorry, Leah please say something." He said with a concerned tone.

"That's what I was going to say." Was all I managed to shock out.

"What? You were going to break up with me? But why?" He now looked as shocked as I felt.

"I guess I felt it too. Our relationship went as far as it could go. It's like we hit a road block." He nodded at my words and I suddenly felt scared at what life held for me. This relationship between Jake and I developed so quickly that I thought it was meant to be. But now I had to start all over.

"I'm sorry Leah." He said as he took my hand between his to warm my fingers.

"I have to go Jake, I want to be alone right now." He frowned and let go of my hand unwillingly.

"Please don't hate me." He said with a pout. How could I hate him when this is what I wanted as well? It was natural for me to be sad, it's not like he meant nothing to me. I leaned forward and gently kissed him one last time.

"I don't hate you Jake."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The house looked dark and empty as I pulled in to the drive way. There was only a small bit of light emanating from Seth's room. _Mom must be at work_, I figured. While I was relieved to get everything settled with Jacob, my heart still hurt. It was so final, I knew I couldn't turn back but I still had moments of doubt as I drove home, in which I wanted to run back in to his arms. He was there for me when I had to face some of my most challenging moments upon my return to La Push. I will never forget what he's done for me.

Lost in thought, I walked in to the house and noticed that my mom's purse was hanging in the closet. She must have gone to bed early. I quietly walked up the stairs and knocked lightly on Seth's door.

"Hey Seth, is mom okay?" I said as I walked in but it wasn't Seth who laid in bed. Embry turned to look at me. "Oh sorry, I didn't think you'd be here… I'm just going to go now."

"Wait." He said quickly and I stopped. "Are you okay Leah?"

"I should be asking you the same question." I stated as I looked at his many wounds.

"I'll be fine, but you have a really sad look in your eyes." _How does he do that? Am I that transparent?_

"I'm _fine_."

"No you're not. Come on, tell me what's wrong." He urged and motioned for me to sit next to him on Seth's bed. I looked at him intently and moved to the side of the bed.

I sat down looking at my hands and said, "Jacob and I broke up." He didn't say anything, he just took my hand and pulled me closer. At first I wanted to pull away, but I quickly realized how much I needed to be held right now. I leaned my head against his shoulder, being careful not to touch any part of his that was bandaged and I felt a swell of tears coming on. He looked down and saw the first tear running down my cheek which prompted him to pull me closer. I don't know how long I cried that night but at some point the tears ran dry and the last thing I remember before drifting off to sleep was Embry's warm hand pushing back the tear soaked bangs from my face.

* * *

NEXT CHAPTER: More Leah and Embry!

Thanks again for reading! **Please review **and let me know what you think, it just takes a moment ^_^  
If you have any suggestions about the characters or the story let me know.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.

**A/N: **Thank you to hgmsnoopy, o0FLAM3S0o, laurazuleta18, perceptiveoceangirl, hilja, sentinel10, tdfireproof, TaylorLautnerLover1, Little Emily, toshii519, chelley0207, and Twilighter Tabitha for being awesome and reviewing! Your reviews are awesome and really keep me going. Thank you soooooooooooo much for taking the time to send me your thoughts

Hope you like this chapter as well.

* * *

_And you're, you're not here_  
_And I can't stop pretending_  
_That you're forever mine..._  
_And I_  
_I can't dream anymore since you left_  
_I miss you singing me to sleep_  
_I can't wake anymore in your arms_  
_I miss you singing me to sleep_

Dressed to Kill by New Found Glory

* * *

**Embry POV**

If I hadn't woken up all bandaged up with Leah sleep on my arm, I would have said that yesterday was just a messed up dream. But it wasn't and my knee still hurt, but it didn't really matter because at this exact point in time Leah was next to me. She breathed softly as she slept peacefully on my arm, with her head resting against my chest. Every single cut and bruise was worth this moment.

The muscles in her arm suddenly tensed and I held my breath hoping she wasn't going to freak out when she realizes where she was. With her eyes still closed, she slowly let her fingers slide down the bare skin on my chest until they reached the bandages. She felt the bandages and then slowly opened her eyes. Realizing where she was, she slowly pulled her hand back and angled her eyes up to mine.

She looked at me for a moment and said, "Hi"

"Hi, how'd you sleep?" I smiled softly down at her and was rewarded with a smile back.

"Good." It seemed like she wanted to say more but before she did I interrupted her.

"Sorry, I probably should have woken you up so that you could sleep in your own bed…" I started to apologize but she just rolled her eyes at me.

"Stop apologizing Embry. If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't have slept at all…" she pressed herself closer to my side and slowly lifted herself up. Her nose brushed past my neck and the thought of her so close to me gave me goose bumps as her warm breath hit the sensitive skin below my ear. "Thank you for being there for me last night" she whispered in my ear and I swallowed hard as she paused near my neck for another moment. This was torture at its best. She then placed a soft kiss on my cheek and pulled herself up, smiling at me.

I was left almost speechless, "um, you're welcome.." was all I was able to say coherently. I focused on her lips as she sat in front of me and I wanted to kiss her so badly, but then I heard quickly approaching foot steps up the stairs. My eyes shot to the door and Leah's followed.

"Hey Embry!" Seth burst in to the room, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw Leah sitting on the bed.

"Hi Seth" Leah replied as she lifted herself from the bed.

"Uhh.. I thought you didn't come home last night. You weren't in your room." He looked a little confused. She smiled and looked at me in Seth's bed and then back to Seth. It was as if something clicked in his brain and a look of disgust invaded his features.

"_MOM!_ Leah _slept_ with Embry in _my_ bed!" He yelled as Leah smirked and I just sat there silently not knowing how to react. Sue came upstairs and stood in the doorway looking at the three of us. "Mom! Tell her something" Seth prompted.

"Hi Mom." Leah said.

"What happened Leah?" Sue replied with motherly concern.

"Why would you ask that?" Seth looked at his mom with a confused look.

"Look at her eyes Seth. She looks like she's been crying all night." Sue said and Seth turned to Leah who's smirk faded quickly. Leah breathed deeply and walked over to her mom, giving her a hug. Seth looked at me with narrowed eyes.

"What did you do Embry?"

"What? I didn't _do _anything."

"Calm yourself Seth. Embry didn't do anything okay! Jacob broke up with me." Leah said bitterly and Seth looked embarrassed almost instantly.

"Come kids, I've made breakfast." Sue prompted. "Embry, I'll bring you your breakfast. We can't have you walking around on that knee yet."

I leaned back on to the pillows, took a deep breath and sighed. _How the hell am I going to pull of being her friend?_

* * *

**Leah POV**

I followed mom in to the kitchen and I was overwhelmed by the sweet smell of pancakes. Seth and I began to fill our plates and we both sat at the table. Normally I would have been wolfing down my food the second I sat down, but now that I sat in front of the pile of sweet syrupy goodness, I realized I didn't have much of an appetite. I realized that my stomach felt like it was in knots. My mom filled a plate with a huge stack of pancakes and turned to go upstairs.

"Wait mom, I'll bring them up to him." She smiled and handed me the plate. I took my plate as well and headed upstairs. Embry seemed to make me feel better. I turned the corner and entered Seth's room to find Embry playing with his bandages.

"Hey now you shouldn't be touching those." I said and he looked up at me with a guilty look while he retracted his hand.

"I was just looking to see how it was healing."

"How does it look Dr. Call?"

"_Dr._ Call? I like the sound of that" He gave me his standard annoying smirk and I rolled my eyes at him in response. "Well, I'm no _doctor_, but I think its healing well." His eyes fixed on the plate in hand and he smiled.

"I know I really shouldn't have to ask… but are you hungry?"

"Starving, like I haven't eaten in days!" he said excitedly as I handed him the plate with the mountain of pancakes. I don't know what is with these guys but they eat like their food will disappear if they don't shovel it in to their mouths fast enough. Embry literally ate each pancake in one bite.

"Maybe you should slow down, I don't really feel like saving you from choking so early in the morning." I said while sitting on the side of the bed, slowly eating my breakfast.

"Wow, so you would _actually_ save me if I was choking?" I shrugged in response. "Interesting,… so you wouldn't let me die."

"Yah, and you're surprised?"

"It all makes sense now."

I narrowed my eyes at him and said "What are you talking about?"

"Well, it's plain to see that you can't live without me and that you would do anything to keep me alive." He teased.

"Oh god, please don't read too much in to it! If you'd choke on my watch then I would be responsible for getting rid of the body and just in case you haven't noticed already, you're not exactly a little guy… so I'd rather save you from choking then have to go through all that trouble of dragging you big ass in to the woods somewhere." He laughed in response.

"I dunno Leah, I'm still going to stick to my original story. You can't live without me so you'd to anything to save my life." He said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes at him _yet again_ and broke my stare away from his eyes as he resumed eating. My eye followed his jaw line to his neck and down to his shoulders. You could see the muscle definition in his arms and chest even though the bandages, it was amazing. He leaned down over his plate to shove another pancake in to his mouth and he caught my eye. I blushed instantly for getting caught staring and he smiled while chewing.

He finally swallowed and said, "are you checking me out?"

"What? No, don't be ridicules. I was just looking at the bandages."

"Mhmm, sure you were." And I laughed in response once I saw all the syrup on his face. "What's so funny?" He said.

"Can't take you anywhere! Don't you know how to eat without getting it all over yourself?" He pouted jokingly and shook his head. "Come here, let me clean you up before mom comes up and yells about the bed getting dirty."

I leaned in closer and moved to wiped his cheek, but he surprised me by sitting up too, leaning in even closer to me. I almost pulled back but the look in his soft brown eyes took me by surprise. His eyes sparkled in the most dazzling way as he looked over my face, just inches away from me. I took one short breathe and realized I just licked my lips, like I always do before I'm about to kiss someone. _Did I want to kiss him? _This was weird because it was Embry. Jacob's best friend… the annoying guy who always ate all the food in my house. But he was also the one who always seemed to know when something was wrong and cared enough to listen and he was the one who didn't care how ridicules he looked when he sang in front of me…

_Stop it!_ I told myself. _This is worst idea you've ever had._ I closed my eyes for a moment and when I opened them Embry's eyes were closed too and he was leaning in. _Oh shit!_ I quickly brought the tissue up to his cheek and wiped the syrup off. He opened his eyes and looked at me with disappointment.

"Leah, I…" he began to say but I cut him off.

"Uh looks like you're done with your breakfast... let me take that downstairs." I said and picked up the plate, bolting out the door. _What the hell is wrong with me_? I berated myself. _I just broke up with Jacob and now I'm moving in on his best friend_? The last thing I need is more drama. That's one of the reasons I broke up with Jacob in the first place. _I will not date another guy from La Push_, I vowed to myself, _especially not Embry!_

* * *

**Jacob POV**

I stayed up all night and by morning I was completely exhausted. But the regret I was feeling was keeping me up with no end in sight. _Did I manage to destroy my second chance at love by ruining my relationship with Leah? _The question continued to resurface no matter how many times I tried to push it away. Just the thought of someone else touching her, kissing her and holding her angered me. Knowing that I had her and let her slip through my fingers killed me inside. But I knew she would be better off and she would be happier without me. After all, if I hadn't broken up with her she would have done it herself sooner or later.

I heard a car drive up to the house, pulling myself up, I looked outside and saw Leah's car. _She came back!_ Was all my mind was able to process, until I realized it was not Leah who got out of the car but Sue Clearwater instead. I heard dad let her in to the house and they made their way to my room. With a light knock on the door my dad rolled in to the room.

"Hi son, Sue is here to check in on you. May we come in?"

"Yah dad, I'm up. Come in."

"Hello Jacob, how are you feeling dear?" Sue said with all the warmth of a caring mother.

"I'm okay. I think I'm healed up now." I answered.

"Let me look at you then." She said as she moved to the side of the bed and removed the bandage on the side of my face and neck. "You're right, you are healed. I assumed there will be a slight scar, but most of it will fade in a few days."

"Thank you Sue for everything." She nodded smiling. "How is Embry doing?"

"He will be fine, his knee is still hurting him a bit. I'm thinking about taking him to the hospital to take an x-ray. I have a friend who works in that department who won't ask questions." _Thank god for Sue! _I thought as she inspected my shoulder and removed the stitches. "Okay Jacob, you are good to go, but don't phase yet. I want all the muscles in your shoulder to heal before you put an excessive strain on them."

"Okay, I promised I won't phase. But can I go out?"

"Sure dear, but make sure you dress appropriately. I don't want people noticing your scars." I agreed with a nod and Sue began to pack up her first aid gear. "You look tired Jacob, maybe you should try to get some sleep instead?"

"I just need some fresh air first." I got out of bed and threw on a long sleeved shirt and a hoodie. It was the middle of November after all. I could go without it but I didn't want to attract attention.

"I'll be back soon dad." I said as I rushed out the door. I knew exactly where I was going, so I grabbed the keys to the car.

I passed the gate to the reservation and headed towards Forks. The town was quiet today because it was a miserable and rainy day. The weather forecast called for wet snow in the afternoon. My destination lay on the other side of Forks and I drove through town without stopping. Pulling off on to one of the side roads, I passed a small gate house and nodded to the guard. I haven't been to see her for so long that I almost felt guilty. To get there I had to walk the rest of the way, so I parked the car on the side of the small gravel street and got out of the car.

The rain poured down on me and the air felt cold and fresh as it surrounded me, calming my nerves. I walked the small path up to the field and stopped at the tree line when I saw a figure ahead of me. The figure was delicate, that of a young women and it stood over her without any movement. I slowly approached, still not knowing who it was.

"Excuse me, but can I help you?" I said softly. Startled she turned to face me, her wet brown hair hung out of the hood of her coat in soaked ringlets framing her milky white face beautifully and her bright blue eyes sparkled with tears.

"Jacob!" Katherine exclaimed as she turned.

"Katherine what are you doing out here in the rain in the middle of a cemetery?"

"Same thing you are, I'm visiting Bella." She motioned to the stone at her feet that read _Isabella Swan_.

"Are you crying?"

"No" She lied. "I just have something in my eye."

"Come here." I said as I pulled her to me, wrapping an arm around her small frame.

"You miss her don't you?" She asked softly as the rain continued to pour down on us.

"Yes, sometimes I do." I replied as I looked down at the stone at our feet. I remember sitting here for hours at a time, tracing the carved letter with my finger, and praying to god to help me wake up from the nightmare I was living. But every day I woke up to the same reality, the one where Bella was dead and gone, while I was left behind lonely with nothing to live for.

"I know you loved her Jacob, but your life isn't over just because hers has ended. Don't hold back your feelings and your heart just because you lost your first great love." She turned to face me and looked up at me with her dazzling blue eyes. "You can have that again, you can feel love again, so don't hold back when love is calling your name." She took my hands and wrapped her small cold fingers around mine. She reached up and wiped the rain from my brow, then rested her hand on my chest. I looked down at the grave at my feet. _Maybe this was meant to be? Maybe Bella has brought us together by some divine power, knowing that I was lonely here without her. I mean, what are the chances of Katherine coming out here at exactly the same time?_ I closed my eyes and tried to let my mind calm down.

Katherine put her hands on either side of my face and pulled me down. I knew what was about to happen and I didn't want to stop it. My curiosity took over and I wanted to know what it would be like to kiss her. She breathed in a short breath and reached up to meet my lips. She tasted like cinnamon hearts at first and then a little sweeter as her tongue met mine. She reached up and threaded her fingers through my wet hair and the hood of her coat fell back in the process.

This is not how I imagined it would feel, I guess I had hope that she would fill the void that was left behind by Bella. But she wasn't Bella and this kiss proved to me that this was the worst idea I've ever had. At that thought I pulled away.

"Wow", she said breathlessly.

"Katherine, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

"Please don't apologize. I wanted you too." She replied immediately.

"I can't do this. It doesn't feel right. I don't want to hurt you." I said as I backed away.

"Jacob, please don't say that." She begged.

"No Katherine. This won't happen again. Please understand that I'm in no place right now to be in a relationship. Every person who I get close to ends up getting hurt. I don't want to have another broken heart on my conscience." I turned to walk away but she came after me.

"Please Jacob, don't you understand? This place is miserable; the only thing that has kept me going day to day is you. You're my sunshine on an otherwise cloudy day; your warmth radiates through the cold and touches my heart like no one else does."

"I'm sorry but I'm not what you are looking for." I pulled my hand away from hers and walked back to my car.

I got in to the car, took a deep breath and rested my head against the steering wheel. I turned to the window when I heard a knock on the glass. Katherine was standing by the side of the car and I rolled down my window.

"What Katherine?" Now I was just annoyed.

"Can I get a ride home? I took the bike here but it won't start." She pointed over to the bushes to where Bella's bike stood. The memories of our time together, building that bikes cut at my heart like a knife.

"Fine, get in." She nodded once and scurried to the other side of the car.

"Thank you Jacob." She said as she shivered violently.

"Take off your jacket, it's wet and it will only make you colder." I reached back pulled out a blanket from the back seat. "Here, wrap this around yourself."

"Thank you" she said again with a small Bella styled smile. _Dammit' why does she have to have that smile?_

"Come here" I pulled her over to me and she leaned in to my side over the center console. This moment was so reminiscent of the many moments I had with Bella that it felt surreal. I drove through the town and moments later we were at her house.

"Thanks again Jacob, and sorry about before." She reached up quickly and kissed me on the cheek. I frowned at her and she knew immediately that it was uncalled for. "It was a friendly kiss… I swear."

"Katherine, please don't do this to yourself. I told you where I stand." I reminded her and she nodded in agreement.

* * *

**Katherine POV**

Well that was a complete waste of time! This diary is pointless. He didn't go for the damsel in distress bit. The bike didn't bring him any memories that would spark something… and my 'sunshine on an otherwise cloudy day' speech didn't work. God! That kiss was so perfect.

My stupid cousin spent her time mourning the loss of her stupid Edward. She said he sparkled, whatever that meant! She completely disregarded the fact that she had a completely sexy sweet guy falling at her feet. She damaged him beyond repair!

"Piece of garbage" I said out loud as I threw the notebook in to the flames of the fireplace.

* * *

NEXT CHAPTER: Can Leah keep her resolve to stay away from Embry?

BTW: I might not have time to update next weekend because I'm going away... but I promise to try my best to update before that.

Thanks again for reading! **Please review **and let me know what you think, it just takes a moment ^_^  
If you have any suggestions about the characters or the story let me know.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.

**A/N: **Thank you to hgmsnoopy, Akira M, laurazuleta18, tdfireproof, o0FLAM3S0o, perceptiveoceangirl, bvc17, hilja, A .C. nelli, chelley0207, Little Emily, toshii519, Twilighter Tabitha and Supernaturallysweet for being awesome and reviewing!

Sorry for the short chapter... and the late update but it was a busy holiday weekend.

Hope you like this chapter as well.

* * *

_I go crazy, crazy,  
baby, I go crazy_  
_You turn it on_  
_Then you're gone_  
_Yeah you drive me_

Crazy by AEROSMITH

* * *

**Leah POV**

_I hate Mondays_, I thought as I got out of the car. It seemed like the day dragged on endlessly, until I was saved by the bell. Making my way up to the door, I noticed that mom's car was not in the drive way, and I knew for a fact that Seth was at work tonight. _Looks like I had the house all to myself_. With that thought I opened the door smiling at my luck.

"Hello? Seth is that you?" was the first thing I heard when I walked in the door. I groaned and was tempted to turn around and go back out, but I was too tired to loiter around town.

"It's me Embry. Seth is working late tonight." I replied reluctantly.

"Leah?"

"Yes" I answered as he started to make his slow journey down the stairs.

I went in to the kitchen to see what I could make for dinner. It looked like my mom didn't have any time to go grocery shopping… guess I'm having pasta. Embry was smiling at the kitchen entrance when I pulled my head out of the refrigerator.

"What's for dinner?" he asked casually

"Hey, I'm not your mother! If anything you should have made me dinner. You were the one home all day."

He pouted and said, "I'm sorry, but Sue told me not to stand for too long because I might injure my knee further." _Dammit' he was right_.

"Well then, sit down before you hurt yourself." The sooner he heals, the sooner he will get to go home. It's not that I _mind_ his company…. Actually, I like it a little more then I should. I told Sophie about everything that happened and she thought it was _hilarious_. Her new prediction is that I will kiss Embry by the end of the week, but I don't see that happening. Kissing Embry would be a very bad idea.

"I'll be right back" I said and went upstairs to change out of my work clothes.

I was very hungry and I know that Embry is like Seth, meaning he's hungry all that time, so I started on dinner right away. Embry sat there quietly, watching me hustle around the kitchen. Every time I turned around he would quickly avert his eyes as if he was looking out the window or at the ceiling… _yah right!_ We finally sat down and started to eat in silence. I liked the silence because I didn't want to be probed for answers when I was tired after a long day at work. Embry seemed to understand and I was glad that he didn't try to start any meaningless conversations with me.

He finished his extra large bowl of pasta and got up from the table. "Thanks for dinner Leah. It was really good." He said as he moved towards the sink and started to do the dishes.

"You're welcome, but maybe you should let me clean up. I don't want you injuring your knee." I replied as I got up to stand next to him but the sink.

"I'll be fine. I haven't been on my feet all day and this will just take a few minutes."

"Okay, well thanks then Embry." He looked down at me with a captivating smile which I could have stared at for hours. Determined to keep my resolve and to prove Sophie wrong, I took one step back, turned on my heels and walked swiftly up the stairs. Moments later I was in the shower washing away the stress from the day's events.

* * *

**Embry POV**

My knee was killing me but I stood there and washed the dishes anyway. I could move my leg just fine, but it still hurt to put pressure on it. Sue took me to the hospital and I got some x-rays done. It turned out that my injury was not as severe as Sue had feared, but I was still advised to stay off of it for two weeks… which in werewolf time means 4 to 5 days.

Since I was already downstairs I decided to watch a movie. Seth didn't have anything entertaining in his room expect a good collections of books. I put on a movie and sat down on the couch moments before Leah came back downstairs, looking refreshed from her shower. Her towel dried hair was tied up in a messy bun, with a few stray strands hanging loosely down her neck.

"What are you watching?" she said as she leaned against the couch. She was in a pair of plaid shorts that sat just below her waist. I did my very best to keep my eyes on her face but I couldn't help but steal a glance at her beautifully toned legs.

"Iron man,… the first one."

"Oh is it any good? I've never watched it."

"What? Are you serious? Leah you're watchin' this with me then. You can't say no."

"It can't be _that_ epic."

"Well, it's no Star Wars but it's definitely a 'must see'."

"Okay, okay, I'll make the pop-corn, so pause it and wait for me." She left the room and I was so excited. She actually wanted to spend time with me. This was awesome! I took a deep breath and collected myself. I have to remember that Leah and Jacob just broke up. It wouldn't be right to expect anything more then friendship out of her right now… but I couldn't help but hope for more.

I heard her coming back in to the living room and I held my stare ahead of me on the television on the opposite side of the room. But she walked across my field of vision for a moment to get to the other side of the couch and my breath hitched at the sight of her figure. She settled next to me on the couch and handed me the bowl of popcorn.

"Now, don't eat it all by yourself. Save some for me." She said with a smirk.

"Aww but I thought this was for me." I pouted jokingly, and her smirk softened as she looked at my bottom lip.

"Oh, quit you're pouting mister, sharing is caring."

"Yes, Miss Leah." I replied back to her as if I was one of her grade school students.

"Stop making fun of me! Play the damn movie or I'm going upstairs." She was trying to be mad but she couldn't help it when a small smile escaped her controlled expression. I lifted my hands in surrender and pressed play. I've watched this movie too many times and couldn't concentrate on it _at all_. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and Leah turned to me with a look of concern.

"Are you okay, do you need something to support your knee? You really shouldn't keep it down on the floor." Leah grabbed one of the pillows from the other couch and pulled the coffee table closer. She instructed me to lift my leg up on the table and then she slid the pillow under my knee for support. "There, that should help." Smiling back at me, she ran her small warm hand over my knee, massaging it while she sat next to me.

I was ridiculous and clearly deprived for too long of any kind of physical contact with a women, because her simple touch drove my mind to fantasize about her for the rest of the movie. In my mind Leah looked at me, licked her lips slowly and moved to get closer to me. I imagined that she ran her hand across my chest to my shoulder and pressed herself in to my side as her lips descended on mine. It was the beginning of the greatest day dream. Remembering the first kiss we shared at the Halloween party, I anticipated that her lips would be soft and lush, like the last time and in my mind they were. Completely unfocused on the movie, I pictured myself pulling Leah into my lap, her straddling me as my hands ran up her thighs to her ass and I pulled her closer to me.

"Embry, are you okay?" Leah voice brought me back to reality and I looked at her with a dazed expression. "Does your knee hurt? You have a very weird look on your face." She stared up at me with concern.

"Oh.. umm, no. Hurt? No, you are fine.. I mean I'll be fine, I _am_ fine. Knee doesn't hurt." _Wow, that was eloquent Embry! _I thought to myself as Leah sat next to me with a grin, watching me try to spit out a sentence.

"I'm fine? Why thank you." She smiled evilly knowing she took that out of context.

"Wait, that's not what I meant." I protested.

"Freudian Slip, my dear Embry." Leah said while maintaining her mischievous grin.

"_Freudian_ what?" skeptically I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Freudian Slip, or parapraxis, is an error in speech, memory, or physical action that is interpreted as occurring due to the interference of some unconscious wish, conflict, or train of thought." She recited knowingly.

"What are you,.. a walking Wikipedia?"

"Clever. Nice avoidance tactic Embry, but I heard what you said." The grin or her face didn't falter.

"Quit it. You know that's not what I meant." I defended.

"Is that so… So you mean to tell me that I'm not attractive or _'fine' _as you so expressively put it?" _Wicked women and their crafty evil ways_, I cursed in my head. Really I just wanted to tell her she was super hot, especially in those shorts… _Focus Embry!_

"You're _alright_." I said with a smirk and she scoffed is disapproval of my answer, but then suddenly her mischievous grin returned.

"Just alright….?" She said softly and I nodded still smirking her way. She slowly lifted herself off the couch and leaned over me with hands supporting her weight next to each of my shoulders. She leaned in and I could feel her warm breath on my neck. "I think you're lying Embry Call", she whispered in my ear as her body hovered inches above mine and I swallowed hard as she breathed on my neck again. The tension was killing me until Leah quickly sprang up and said, "Oh look the movie is done!"

"Huh?" I was still disoriented from her intoxicating scent swirling around me. I looked at the television to see the credits rolling across the screen.

"Good movie Embry. We should do that again." She said as she skipped to the kitchen with the empty bowl of popcorn. _Damn you Leah Clearwater_, I cursed internally as I watched her retreat from the room. I need out of this house immediately before I make a complete fool of myself.

* * *

NEXT CHAPTER: the more reviews i get the sooner i'll update with the next chapter! so review!

Thanks again for reading! **Please review **and let me know what you think, it just takes a moment ^_^  
If you have any suggestions about the characters or the story let me know.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.

**A/N: **Thank you to o0FLAM3S0o, tdfireproof, perceptiveoceangirl, sentinel10, hgmsnoopy, A. C. nelli, TaylorLautnerLover1, chelley0207, toshii519, laurazuleta18 and hilja for being awesome and reviewing!

This chapter is another short one,... sorry but it was the best I could do with the little time I had. Next week's chapter will be much longer. I promise ^_^

Hope you like this chapter as well.

* * *

_Just a moment of weakness_  
_I should examine my head!_  
_Just a moment of weakness_  
_Never meant a word I said!_

Moment of Weakness by Bif Naked

* * *

**Leah POV**

"So did you kiss him yet?" Sophie didn't even try to hide the excitement in her voice. I swear this girl feeds off of my drama.

"NO, I didn't, now get it out of your head missy." I said, trying to set her straight, but it didn't work.

"You've been avoiding him." She stated knowingly, as if she has been monitoring my movements all week.

"Why would I do such a silly thing Sophie? I have no reason to avoid him." _Dammit' why's she gotta be so damn perceptive_, I thought to myself.

"Leah Clearwater, don't lie to me. I was able to hear it in your voice, the way you spoke about Embry… I know you have a thing for him, and it isn't something that just surfaced now. Whether you agree with me or not, you had a thing for him the moment you moved back. You talked about him non-stop, '_That Embry, he's so annoying, thinks he's hot shit now_', '_You should see his smirk, so annoying_'" She said imitating me.

"I don't sound like that! And I didn't say those things!" I replied but I knew it was useless to argue.

"Oh yes you did Leah! You talked about him just as much you talked about Jacob."

"You're insane S. I did _not_." Sophie laughed in response.

"If you haven't kissed him then you were avoiding him."

"Okay, so maybe I have been avoiding him… but if it makes you feel better I actually did come close to kissing him. We watched a movie on Monday…" Sophie listened intently as I retold the story of our Monday Night movie.

"Damn Leah, this guy has you hooked and you don't even know it."

"He does not!" I protested, "... but he's sweet and he always looks so happy to see me. He gets that 'kid on Christmas morning' look when I get home. It's actually really nice."

"I can't wait to meet him. By the way, I'll be there Thursday night. My parents had no problem with me spending Thanksgiving with you. I'm really excited about the visit."

"Yay! I'm so excited too. I'll send you the directions tonight. Make sure you bring warm clothes, the elders are putting on a Thanksgiving bonfire so we will be outside a lot, and it's freezing here."

"Thanks for the tip Leah. It will be Thursday before you know it!."

* * *

**Embry POV**

I don't know if Leah was avoiding me or if I was avoiding her, but we barely saw each other for the next few days. If I was to stay strong around her I needed to stay away from her. I'm not taking any chances and thankfully today is my last day at the Clearwater house.

It was getting late, Sue, Seth and I just finished eating dinner and I needed to take a shower before I headed home. I grabbed my towel from Seth's room and headed for the bathroom. I took off my shirt and stood in front of the mirror inspecting my scars. All the small ones have almost fully faded, but the most prominent one across my chest still remained. It looked lighter then the rest of my skin and I could feel it as I ran my hand across it. It was ugly, but I took solace in the knowledge that it would disappear sooner or later.

The one downside of being a werewolf is that it's hard to take hot showers. The water rarely feels hot enough. I know it's a weird thing to miss. But nothing beats a hot shower after a long cold day outside. I turned on the hot water and a bit of the cold, before I stepped in to the shower. The water was warm but not hot so I turned down the cold water flow until I could feel the heat against my skin. It reminded me of Leah's touch the first night we kissed at the Halloween party and I had a new reason to love hot showers.

I wrapped the towel around my waist after I was done drying off, opened the door and took one step out the door before someone barreled in to me. I knew who it was instantly, because Leah scent hit me like a brick wall. We walked in to eachother without looking and she must have been walking really fast because she walked in to me with a lot of force for an ordinary human. So hard actually that she pretty much bounced right off me and almost fell to the floor. But only _almost_ because I caught her before she fell.

* * *

**Leah POV**

I was rushing to get to my room before Embry got out of the bathroom. Avoidance is key, I only had to do this for another few hours, then he'd be gone and I could go on with my day. I ran up the stairs and was steps away from the safety of my room when I collided with a wall. Well not a wall exactly… Embry.

I hit him with so much force that I bounced right off of him, but he caught me by my waist as I fell. He pulled me up with ease, as if I was delicate and weightless. His warm arm was around my waist and I was enveloped by the fresh scent of his skin. He stood up close against me as I back on to the hallway wall and quickly became aware of the fact that he was half naked… with only a towel wrapped around his waist. I slowly took in the sight of his shirtless chest, it was amazing, and I lifted my hand to lightly run my fingers across his scar.

"Wow, that's amazing" I breathed as my fingers ran across his skin. The feel of his skin against my finger tips seared and a slight jolt of excitement ran through me at the thought of touching him. It was also amazing how quickly his skin heals. It wasn't even more then a week and a half that he got these injuries and he already was fully healed.

"Amazing? Why thank you Leah. I try to work out as often as I can." He smirked down on me and I realized that I was running my fingers still across his chest.

"NO that's not what I meant Embry,.. Amazing as in, Wow, your gashes and cuts have already healed!" But he continued to smirk down on me while I tried to keep composure.

"Oh sure Leah." He said skeptically.

"I swear on my life!" I defended.

"So you mean to tell me that you don't think I'm worthy of 'amazing'?"

"You're _'alright'_." I replied, remembering what he called me the other day, but instead of pouting he just smiled widely at me, as if he was expecting that answer.

He gently pressed me back against the wall and I felt a hint of hesitation, knowing that I would not be able to escape his hold if he tried to kiss me in this position. He rested his forearm on the wall over my head, which in turn brought him exceedingly close to me. I could smell the fresh moisture off of his recently showered skin and I wanted to touch him again. It was getting exceedingly hot and tense between us.

Embry smiled down at me evilly and moved the hand he had originally around my waist, from when he caught me falling, leisurely placing it on my hip. Slowly, he lowered his face closer to my neck. His nose barely traced my delicate jaw line, leaving a trail of hot skin along the way. My breath hitched when he arrived at what seemed to be his chosen destination. His warm breath hit the sensitive skin just below my ear and I muffled a labored breath by biting my lower lip, as his hand moved up my side from my hip, passed my waist. _Oh damn!_

"I think you're lying Ms. Leah Clearwater" He whispered less then an inch from my earlobe. He then promptly withdrew himself away from the wall, turned and walked in to Seth's room shutting the room behind him.

_What the hell was that?_ I walked in to my room, still dazed from what just happened. That was so hot.

* * *

**Jacob POV**

I heard that Embry was coming home today so I thought I'd stop by. Hesitantly, I walked up the path to his front door and knocked. I could hear small footsteps down the hallway and the door swung open.

"Well hello Jacob!" Embry's mom said pleasantly.

"Is Embry home?"

"Not yet, but he should be here in an hour or less"

"Oh…" I said disappointedly.

"Well do you want to wait for him? You can come in." She stepped back to invite me in.

"Sure. Thank you." I walked in and made my way to wait in the living room. Sitting on the coach I looked around the room at the photos. Every second one was a picture of Embry and I doing something we loved and creating more fond memories. That made me feel even worse about how I reacted to his accusation last week.

I must have dozed off because Embry's voice coming from the front door woke me.

"There's someone here to see you." Embry's mom said to him.

"Who is it?"

"Jacob, he's in the living room." I heard quickly approaching footstep and Embry was in the living room in mere seconds.

"What do you want Black?" He said with a tone of resentment, which hurt a lot.

"I came to talk to you Embry."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"I'm here to apologize." I said as he narrowed his eyes at me.

"Apologize for what?"

"For being a giant ass and a horrible best friend." I couldn't hide the guilt I felt.

"Oh… yah you're an ass that's for sure." He replied and his lip curled up on one side into a smirk. "I was kind of waiting for you to realize it yourself. Glad we are on the same page now."

"Don't do that… the sarcasm. I'm very serious. I'm sorry for everything."

"I wasn't being sarcastic. I mean it, you're an asshole Jacob. I've been your friend for a long time and you sometimes treat people like shit. The reason why I reacted the way I did, is because I didn't want Leah to be next on your list." I dropped my head down at his words. I felt like such a horrible person.

"Let me make it up to you. I can change, I can be better." I promised. "I don't want to lose you as a friend, so let me make it up to you."

He smiled at me and said, "Alright, but you have a long way to go to make it up to me Jacob." I smiled back at him feeling a sense of relief.

"You won't regret it."

* * *

**NEXT CHAPTER: see what happens when Sophie visits.**

Thanks again for reading! **Please review **and let me know what you think, it just takes a moment ^_^  
If you have any suggestions about the characters or the story let me know.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.

**A/N: **Thank you to o0FLAM3S0o, perceptiveoceangirl, tdfireproof, Little Emily, sentinel10, chelley0207, A. C. nelli, toshii519, TaylorLautnerLover1, sarsa, hgmsnoopy, Supernaturallysweet, laurazuleta18, hilja and Twilighter Tabitha for being awesome and reviewing!

Thanks to everyone reading all over the world! (In order of most hits) Thanks United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia, France, Ireland, Brazil, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Sweden, India, Virgin Islands, Singapore, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Venezuela, Finland, Austria, Hungary, Costa Rica, Denmark, Romania, Czech Rever, Mauritius, Spain, Peru and Indonesia!

Okay, so I made an effort and wrote a longer chapter. Hope you like it.**  
**

* * *

_And I've got this friend, you see_  
_Who makes me feel and I_  
_Wanted more than I could steal_

Lounge Act by Nirvana

* * *

**Leah POV**

"Mom! Are you almost ready?" Seth yelled from the front door.

"Relax Seth, you guys still have plenty of time." I said as he looked down at me with a scowl.

"Leah, you have no idea what goes in to the preparations for these bonfires. We only have one day left and we have nothing ready." The stress in his voice matched his whole demeanor. "MOM!" He yelled again and we heard shuffling across the hallway upstairs. My mom appeared at the bottom of the stairs moments later.

"Aren't you coming Leah?" Mom asked as Seth twitched nervously. It looked like he was seconds away from throwing her on his back and carrying her to the car.

"No Mom, Sophie is coming today, remember? She should be arriving soon. I'm going to meet her at the border." My mom's face light up as I told her about my plans.

"Oh honey, I can't wait to meet her. We won't be home late."

"Yes we will." Seth interrupted. "Especially late, if we don't leave this instant! Everyone is waiting for us. Let's go." He hurried Mom out the door and I watched them get in to the car.

In preparation for Sophie's arrival, I cleaned up the house and was getting ready to leave when my phone started to ring. I flipped it open excitedly when I looked at the caller ID.

"I just passed a sign that said 'City of Forks', so I guess I'm almost there." Sophie said without a greeting.

"Hi S! You're almost here. I'll meet you at the gate to the reservation."

"There's a gate? Is there a mote? Do I need a pass or something?" She said jokingly.

"There's a guard house, and 9 foot fences. But you don't need a pass; just flash the guard some bonze skin and he'll let you in." I replied and she laughed.

"Okay, I'll be there soon, so get you're ass out there and don't keep me waiting!" She ordered lightly.

"Yes ma'am. See you soon." I said and hung up, now rushing to get dressed and out the door.

A short while later I was at the entrance to the reservation, waiting on the side of the road for Sophie. I didn't have to wait too long before her car appeared in the distance. She pulled over to the side of the road and go out of the car.

"Leah!" She said elatedly and she ran towards me like we haven't seen each other for years. It was the perfect slow motion reunion hug moment you'd ever seen.

"Aw, I missed you." I said as I hugged her. She was like the sister I've never had, with her here, my family was complete. A whistle from behind us ruined the moment and we turned around to see who was intruding on our happy reunion.

"Oh please, don't stop on our account." Paul said from the passenger seat as Jared pulled up beside us. "So this is why you broke up with Jacob? Well I gotta hand it to you Princess Leah, your girlfriend is pretty hot." He said as Jared laughed in the background.

"Run along Paul before I alert Rachel that her dog got off his leash again." I snapped back and Sophie laughed in approval. Paul's face turned red and he turned to Jared signaling him to drive on because he didn't have a comeback.

Sophie laughed even louder and said "Is that a friend of yours? He's a total jerk."

"Not a friend, he's just a jerk." We giggled in unison. "I'm so glad you're here. Just follow me to the house and we'll get you settled in.

* * *

**Sophie POV**

As I drove closer to the reservation, I couldn't deny that there was a strange feeling taking over my body. It was an unusual combination of happiness, nervousness and something else… but I couldn't tell you what that something else was. It was like a magnet, pulling me towards my destination. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up at the thought.

Leah got in to her car, drove past the gate and I followed behind her. I felt an energy coursing though my body that was never there before. When I stepped out of the car, in front of Leah's house, I felt the energy run up through my toes to my finger tips. I stood in place, staring at my feet in complete awe.

"What's wrong Sophie?" Leah said with a concerned tone.

I looked up at her and was about to reply when I saw the strangest light. Leah stood in front of me with a light glow about her. I have never seen anything like it.

"Leah, you're glowing." I said weakly before everything went black.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"Mom! I don't know what's wrong with her. She just collapsed." I heard Leah as she spoke on the phone with a panicked tone.

"Leah?" I said as I opened my eyes and realized I was on the couch. Leah snapped her head in my direction and a look of relief washed over her face.

"Oh my god, Sophie! Mom, she's awake! Okay,…. Okay…. Yes I'll do that. Thanks Mom." She hung up the phone and ran over to the couch. "S, you scared the shit out of me! Are you okay? What happened?" Her sudden line of questioning made my head spin.

"Leah, one question at a time please." I replied as I put a hand to my forehead and propped myself up on to my elbow.

"What happened?" She said with a calm voice.

"I was feeling strange all the way here and when I passed the border it got worse. When I got out of the car, it felt like my body was absorbing some kind of strange energy through my feet, as I touched the ground." I didn't have any reservation about telling Leah these things; she was use to me being a little different.

"That's why you were looking at your feet so intently." She observed and I nodded in agreement. "Weird."

"Weird is right, but it didn't end there. When I looked up at you I saw a strange light surrounding you."

"You mean like an aura?" she said and I nodded in agreement.

"That's exactly it!"

"But you've never been able to see anything like it?" I shook my head no in response. "Weird. Well it must be something that was triggered when you crossed the border. We always knew you had a 'gift' of some sort. What if it gets more intense when you are on Native land?"

"Actually, it happened to me once when I was a kid. My parents took me to the Grand Canyon. The closer we got to the canyon, the weirder I felt. I passed out the moment we got out of the car."

"But that's not Native land…." Leah stated.

"Actually, it is. There is a Native American reserve at the bottom of the canyon." I said as I remembered one of my class lessons.

"Really? Well that explains it."

"Mhmm."

"Well, I don't really want to test you again. So how about I order pizza and we catch up instead of venturing out?" Leah offered.

I happily accepted the proposal. "Good thinking…. Thank you."

"For what?" She said as she stopped to turn and face me.

"For not freaking out about this stuff… you take it pretty well… all the weird stuff. Many people would have just written me off as a mental case and locked me up a long time ago." I said as I looked down at my hands.

"Give me a break Sophie. There are many people out there just like you. While you are the first person like this that I've ever met… I'm sure you won't be the last one I ever encounter." She smiled brightly at me as I looked up at her. "I'm good with weird." She reassured me.

"Good, because I don't think it stops here." She laughed and made her way to the phone to order some dinner.

I meant what I said. There's more to La Push then meets the eye, I can feel it.

* * *

**Embry POV**

"Leah's friend is here?" Seth had just informed me that Leah's friend Sophie is down for the Thanksgiving Weekend.

"Yeah, and from what I saw in photos, she's really hot." Seth said enthusiastically. "Wouldn't it be awesome if I imprinted on her?"

"So far all the imprints occurred with only people of our own tribe."

"Yeah, but that's the best part. She's Native too!" He said as he chopped apart another piece of wood.

"She is? That's terrible." I immediately felt dread come over me. What if I imprint on her? Everything with Leah will be forever lost. My stomach began to turn as nausea overtook me.

"I hope I imprint!" Seth said again and ignored my look of horror.

"Imprint on who?" Jacob said as he walked up to the pile of wood we were working on splitting.

"Seth was just telling me about Leah's friend. She's here to visit for the weekend." Jacob probably had the same look on his face as I did. Last thing he wanted was to imprint on Leah's friend.

"What's with you guys? This is great news." Seth said as he looked us over.

"Seth, if either of us imprint on Leah's friend, Leah would be royally pissed and she would definitely be hurt if one of us started running after her best friend. It would be too close to a Leah/Sam/Emily type of situation." I replied back and Seth finally understood our concern.

"oh…." He said with a blank look.

"Exactly!" Jacob replied. "Glad you understand now."

"So what are you going to do?" Seth said as he looked at Jacob and I.

"Avoid her." Jacob said quickly and I nodded in agreement.

"I won't look her in the eye." I added.

"Do you really think that you can keep that up?" Seth said skeptically.

"It's our only hope. Neither of us can risk imprinting now. It would break Leah. You have to help us Seth, or else she'll be on the next bus out of here again." The thought of Leah leaving caused Seth to wince from the possible hurt he would feel if she left again.

"Not again." He groaned and threw his axe in to the ground.

* * *

**Leah POV**

By the time mom and Seth got home Sophie and I were already asleep upstairs. They were also gone before we woke up. We came downstairs to an empty kitchen and a note.

'Good morning girls, make yourselves something to eat. Don't forget! The bonfire starts at 6:00 pm'

I looked at Sophie who was looking at me reading the note, "I swear I have a family Sophie and maybe one of these days you'll get to meet them."

"Sure, sure Leah… or maybe you're so 'good with weird' because you're even weirder then me. I bet you made up this whole family you supposedly have! They probably only exist in your head." She laughed and I stuck my tongue out at her.

"You're such a sweetheart Sophie." I said sarcastically and we both laughed.

We made the biggest breakfast. There was probably enough food to feed Seth twice! Yet, somehow we managed to finish everything. Sophie sat across the table from me staring at her empty plate and she let out a groan.

"Ugh, I feel so slothy right now." She said as she adjusted the elastic waistband on the pajama pants.

"Me too. I feel like I'm 9 months pregnant with a food baby." I replied as Sophie giggled in response. "You know, Seth eats like this every morning. He's like a bottomless pit."

"Ha! Are you talking about your imaginary brother again?" I rolled my eyes at her with a smirk and slowly lifted myself from the seat. Grabbing some of the dishes from the table, I waddled over to the sink.

"So what do you want to do today? I can show you around town… we can go see my school and the mini heritage museum?" I suggested as she came over with more plates.

"Sounds good. I feel better today too, so I think I can go out."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"So tell me more about your friends, especially Embry." Sophie said as we skipped from rock to rock along the shoreline.

"I've already told you everything you needed to know." I said with a shrug.

"Fine, don't tell me." Sophie replied as she rolled her eyes in defeat. She turned to the ocean and breathed in deep. "Wow, the air is so fresh out here. I've seen the ocean before in California, but I like this setting more. It's more natural." I closed my eyes and leaned in to the cold wind as my hair danced wildly behind me.

"Yeah, I love this place."

* * *

**Embry POV**

"Now remember Seth, you have to keep an eye out for them. Let us know if they are here so that we could keep a low profile."

Seth nodded, "Sure thing Embry. You can count on me."

"Make sure they don't see us either, and if they do, you have to distract them so that we can make a quick getaway. Got it?" Jacob instructed and Seth nodded his head enthusiastically again.

"I hope I'm the one that imprints." We both looked at Seth who has been repeating those words all afternoon.

"Focus Seth." I reminded him and sent him off in the direction of the parking lot.

Jacob looked at Seth descending down the hill and he shook his head. "This will never work Embry. Destiny will always find a way to get us and our imprints together. Whether we like it or not."

"Don't think like that Jake. We have to stay positive. Destiny is not out to get us." I hoped it wasn't out to get Leah either because an imprint would hurt her most of all.

"So you and Leah? How's that working out?" He said causally.

"Really Jake? Are we going to talk about Leah, your recent ex-girlfriend?" This is not a topic I wanted to discuss with Jacob at all right now. What was I suppose to say? She is super hot, I've come close to kissing her about three times and I think I love her… Too intense maybe?

"Yeah, you're right. Too early," he replied as he kicked a stone across the sand.

"Sorry, I just don't want to piss you off. When we're hanging out, I just want to work on being friends again. Talks of Leah will just complicate things."

"Yeah, I get it." Jake agreed.

Just then, Seth came running up the hill. "Guys they're here! My mom just told me she saw Leah's car in the parking lot." I was struck with a sudden wave of panic and I contemplated running.

"Did you have a look at her yet?" Jacob said to Seth as he turned away from the parking lot to look in the opposite direction and I followed his lead. Seth now stood between us, facing the hill. He suddenly got a weird look on his face, as if he was holding his breath and thinking too hard all at the same time. He looked like a child in a toy store who's mom just told him he couldn't have the latest Batman toy.

"Seth, are you okay?" I said as I looked him over. He finally let go of his breath and relaxed.

"What the hell were you doing?" Jacob said as he looked at Seth's strange expression.

"Well, that's just great!" Seth said sarcastically. "Sophie is super hot and I didn't imprint on her." His tone was full of disappointment.

"You were trying to imprint?" We both laughed as Seth grew increasingly frustrated.

"Well, good luck to you both. The girls are here so you better disappear." Seth warned.

"Wait,… Jacob, you are right." I grabbed him by his arm as he was about to walk away.

"I am?"

"Yes, we can't run from destiny. Sooner or later we have to face what life has coming our way." Jacob's expression was skeptical.

"I don't think you should make it a habit of listening to me. Let's just get out of here Embry." Jacob prompted.

"No, Jacob. I'm staying and I'm going to face her. I'll fight the imprint if I have to."

Jacob rolled his eyes.

"Don't be stupid, you know you can't do that!"

"I can and I will if I have to." With those words I turned to face Leah and Sophie who were closing in on us.

There was nothing…. Just Leah's smiling face beaming at me.

* * *

**NEXT CHAPTER: more BONFIRE**!

Thanks again for reading! Please review and let me know what you think, it just takes a moment ^_^  
If you have any suggestions about the characters or the story let me know.


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.

**A/N: **Thank you to laurazuleta18, hgmsnoopy, tdfireproof, perceptiveoceangirl, o0FLAM3S0o, TaylorLautnerLover1, Little Emily, Supernaturallysweet, hilja, A. C. nelli, Twilighter Tabitha, chelley0207, toshii519 for being awesome and reviewing!

**Again, this chapter is long. Hope it was worth the wait! ^_^  
**

* * *

_A beautiful girl can make you dizzy_  
_Like you've been drinking jack and coke all morning_  
_She can make u feel high_  
_Single greatest commodity known to man_  
_Promise promise of a better day_  
_Promise of a greater hope_  
_Promise of a new tomorrow_  
_This particular aura can be found  
in the gait of a beautiful girl_  
_In her smile and in her soul  
And the way she makes every rotten little thing  
about life seem like its gonna be ok..._

**Great Romances Of The 20th Century** by Taking Back Sunday

* * *

**Sophie POV**

It felt like all eyes were on me as I ascended the hill up to the beach where the bonfire was to take place. I've never been shy until this moment in my life. A cold wind blew across the sand causing a chill to go up my spine and I shivered when it reached the base of my neck. Leah felt it as we walked elbow to elbow and turned to me with concern.

"Are you cold? Maybe we should go back and get you an extra sweater or something?"

"It's okay Leah, I'll tough it out. I'll just make sure to sit closer to the fire." I replied and laughed.

"Okay, just not too close. We want to toasted marshmallow not toasted Sophies."

"So where is this family of yours?" I said and Leah started to scan the crowd.

"Oh, there's Seth… with Embry and Jacob." Following her line of vision, I saw three really tall guys standing in a huddle off to the side of the crowd.

The two taller guys turned their back to us as we approached and looked as if they were arguing amongst themselves. I looked at the shorter of the three, who was still pretty tall, he had a strange look on his face.

"Is the one in the middle your brother?"

She nodded and said, "Yup, that is Seth. Jacob is the big one on the left and Embry is on the right." As we approached Embry turned around, looked me quickly in the eye and then turned his attention to Leah. The look he gave her left me with no doubt about what he felt for her. Watching the exchange of glances between the two was comforting. I was glad that Leah had someone like Embry in her life. It wouldn't be long before they started dating. My attention then turned to Seth who was looking at me with a frown.

"Hi guys, this is my friend Sophie." Leah introduced me. Embry turned to me and said hello to be polite but then quickly returned his attention to Leah. Seth stepped forward offering me his hand.

"Hello Sophie, I'm Seth, welcome to La Push." I smiled at him as we shook hands, which seemed to brighten his expression, and he smiled back. Next I turned to the tall guy standing next to Seth, still with his back turned to me. Seth nudged him and he slowly turned around. Then it happened again, I felt the energy seeping through the group, enveloping my feet and traveling up my body. I gripped Leah's hand as I began to get light headed and everything turned black.

v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-

I heard a distant voice calling my name. It sounded inviting and I moved towards it through the vastness of my subconscious mind. I let the warmth of the sound wash soothingly over me as I slowly started to regain consciousness. I opened my eyes and found a pair of deep brown eyes staring back at me.

"Leah! Come back, she's awake." He said excitedly as he brushed my hair out of my face delicately. "You scared the hell out of us." Leah dropped to her knees beside me, panic still clearly visible across her face.

"Dammit' Sophie! Did it happen again?" I slowly nodded my head.

"Can you sit up?" He said and I looked at him again, recognizing him as Jacob.

"I think so." I replied as I propped myself up on to my elbow. I realized that everyone was crowding around me as I looked up at the many faces staring down at me.

Leah looked up as well and raised her voice, "Nothing to see here people! Show's over." She glared at the crows and slowly everyone started to disperse. I sat up further and Leah started cleaning the sand of off my jacket. "Are you okay? Do you want to go home and lay down?"

"No I'll be fine." She gave me a skeptical look. "I swear I'll be fine."

"Well at least let my mom look at you."

"Okay fine." I agreed reluctantly because I didn't think that her mom would be able to do anything for me. As we passed through the crowd towards where Leah's mom was, a man stood staring at me. He followed us as we walked passed him, but no one else noticed or said anything.

"Oh my dear are you okay? How's your head?" A lady, who looked very much like Leah came running up to me through the crowd.

"That's my mom." Leah leaned over and whispered.

"Hello Mrs. Clearwater." I said as she got closer.

"Oh dear, please call me Sue. Sit down so I can have a look at you", Sue instructed as she brought me over to a bench. Leah followed along, as did the man. Sue finished her examination and stood with her hands on her hips.

"I have no idea why you keep blacking out like that. Maybe you should go to the emergency and see a doctor?" She suggested just as the man from the crowd stepped forward.

"She doesn't need a doctor Sue. She's fine."

"Chogan, you're not in a position to be giving out medical advice." Sue said with an annoyed tone. He came up to her and whispered something in her ear. Immediately, Sue's face lit up in recognition and she looked down at me. She took the man by the arm and brought him closer to me. "Sophie, this is Chogan, he needs to talk to you for a bit, is that okay?" I was confused but agreed. We walked over to an empty picnic table and sat across from each other.

He was older then Sue, in his mid-fifties maybe. His long raven black hair framed his wrinkled face. With a smile, he looked me straight in the eye.

"You feel the energy, don't you girl?" He asked point-blank.

"What are you talking about?"

"The energy from the land, it's overwhelming if you let it in all at once. You need to accept it in small doses." _How did he know this?_ He must have seen the confusing in my eyes. "I'm sorry where are my manners? I'm Chogan, and I'm the tribe healer."

"I'm Sophie."

"Sophie, which tribe are you from?"

"I don't know." I answered honestly. "I was adopted at birth."

"I see… Well Sophie, just in case you didn't know this already,.. I think you have a gift. I can sense it. It's like an energy pulsing out from the core of your being. Have you ever noticed that you are different?" I nodded without a word, wanting him to continue. "Close your eyes and put your hands face up on the table." He instructed and I complied. I concentrated on my hands, but almost began to panic when I felt the energy creeping up my ankles.

"Don't panic." He said soothingly. His calloused finger tips touched the center of my palms and the energy climbed higher. "Control it as it rises in you. Will it to move at a slower pace, a more manageable pace." Again, I did as he instructed and felt the pressure of the energy lessen. It gently spread through me and disappeared as it reached heart-level. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

"What is it?"

"It's the energy of the land. There are only a few sensitive enough who can feel its presence. Those that do, usually have a gift…"

"I sometimes get a feeling when something bad will happen before it ever does." I offered.

"Excellent, so you can see into the future."

"Well, not exactly… I can't see into the future. Just sense certain possible occurrences."

He smiled and said, "Yes, for now, but don't be surprised if it developed into something more." He looked over my shoulder and nodded. I turned to see Leah and Sue standing behind me.

"Are you hungry Sophie?" Leah said.

"Thank you Chogan." I said and turned to Leah "Yeah, I'm starving. What's there to eat?" Leah pointed to the barbeques and tables set up on the west side of the beach.

"Hamburgers and hot dogs?" She offered and we made our way to the food.

We were nearly at the line up when Leah grabbed hold of my arm and stopped me from walking any further. I turned to her with a questioning look.

"What's wrong Leah?"

"That's Sam." She pointed to the tallest guy behind the barbeque. "And that's Emily, next to him." I looked at them once, rubbed my eyes and tried to focus on two of them again_. I must be seeing things_. There was something connecting the two of them. It looked like a light or an energy. It was pale white, transparent and it stretched between the two of them connecting them at their closest point to each other. "Are you okay Sophie?" Leah said, "Are you feeling dizzy again?"

"No, I'm okay." I said and smiled to reassure her.

* * *

**Leah POV**

I was concerned about Sophie, but Mom explained to me what Chogan had told her; Sophie is special, she has a sixth sense or something like it that can detect the ancient powers of the land. It's some weird shit. It all sort of sounds like hocus pocus to me really, but at the same time I can't pretend that some of the things that Sophie has said or done in the past could be easily explained. I guess there is more to our legends then I thought.

We were walking up to the food stations when I heard someone calling my name.

"Miss Leah! Miss Leah, wait for me!" I turned just as Jamie barreled into me. He giggled in glee as he latched onto my waist.

"And who's this little guy?" Sophie smiled as she looked at the two of us.

"I'm Jamie and I'm seven years old." He said proudly and then turned to me with a hopeful look. "Miss Leah can you help me toast marshmallows?" Last thing this boy needed was more sugar.

"Maybe be later Jamie, if your parents approve. Right now my friend and I need to get something to eat."

"But marshmallows are food too! I even have them for breakfast with my cereal." He said pouting sadly.

"Come one Jamie, hot dogs first and then maybe you'll get some marshmallows."

The three of us made our way up the hills and Sam came out from behind the barbeque to meet us. Jamie promptly jumped to his side to introduce his dad to his new friend Sophie. Moments later Emily joined us as well. She didn't say much to me knowing that I didn't have much to say to her either, but she was overly polite towards Sophie. Sophie just stood there looking at her and Sam in amazement. When Emily reached out her hand Sophie reached past it and ran her hand in the space between Sam and Emily. This was not usually behaviour for Sophie so I knew right away that something was up. I cleared my throat and nudged her gently to bring her back to reality. She suddenly turned red with embarrassment and promptly took Emily's waiting hand, while looking at the area she has just waved her hand though with side glances.

Once the pleasantries were over we grabbed our food and moved to get a seat at a picnic table.

"Sophie, what the hell was that all about?"

"Leah, you're going to think I'm crazy." Sophie said hesitantly.

"My mom told me what you and Chogan were talking about. It's not that weird."

"I just saw something." She began and continued to explain what she saw between Sam and Emily. "It's like they are tied together. Soul mates or something."

"Soul mates?' I scoffed at the notion. "Come on, don't tell me you believe in that shit." I use to believe it, when I was with Sam. Now, the idea of soul mates made me sick to my stomach.

"Hi girls." Jacob said as he sat on the bench next to me. "Mind if we join you?" It was kind of weird seeing Jacob again. It was the first time I was seeing him since the breakup. I wanted to ask how he was doing but there was never a spare moment. His presence brought up some painful feelings. Not in the same way as seeing Sam did, but it still hurt. There where moments where he would look at me from the corner of his eye and I could see something in the look he would give me. Maybe he missed it too.

Embry sat across from me, next to Sophie. He gave me his standard smirk, but for some reason it didn't annoy me as much as it usually did. It was pleasant, and the attention actually kind of made me blush but I tried not to make it obvious for Jacob's sake.

"How are you feeling Sophie, is your head okay?" Jacob caught Sophie's attention as she stared out into the crowd.

"Oh, yeah I'm good now. Just needed a moment to reset my brain." She said with a small laugh and blushed. I bet it must have been quite embarrassing to pass out in front of everyone.

Sophie looked in amazement just as I had at the guys eating. Hamburgers and hot dogs went down one after another until their plates were empty. They both sat back and looked at us. Embry smiled in satisfaction and yawned. He then looked around the table and stopped when he reached my plate.

"Are you going to eat that last hot dog?" he said hopefully.

"Nope it's all yours." I replied and he reached over the table for the hot dog.

"You girls are slow eaters." Jacob observed.

"Actually, we just like to chew our food before we send it down to our stomach. But you wouldn't understand…." Sophie smirked in response.

"Miss Leah" Jamie said as he reached my side. "Can we toast marshmallows now?" I looked over to Sam, lifted the bag of sugary fluff and pointed to Jamie. Sam nodded in agreement and I turned to Jamie.

"Looks like your dad says it's okay." Go find us a spot near the bonfire and I'll be right with you. Jamie sped off in the direction of the fire pit which was soon to be lit. "Sorry boys, we gotta go. Maybe we will see you later…" With that I rose from the bench and followed Sophie to the bins to throw out our trash.

We were walking towards the bonfire area when Sophie stopped me and pointed in to the crowd. "Look over there." She said as she pointed to a couple standing near Seth. It was Jared and Kim. "They have the connection too."

"Really?" I was confused. I know Jared and Kim have been together for a long time but I never thought they were 'soul mates'. "Are you sure you're really seeing something there?" I questioned.

Sophie turned to me with a disappointed look. "Leah, I wouldn't lie about something like this."

"I'm not saying that you are lying."

"But you think it's impossible to be seeing what I'm seeing?" She questioned and she as right. It was hard to understand. She had the same look on her face when we passed Rachel and Paul.

"Them too?" I asked and she nodded solemnly. Now I felt bad. She was brave enough to share all this with me. The least I could do it be supportive. "Do you still think it's some kind of soul mate connection?"

"Yeah that what it looks like so far."

We found Jamie a moment later a spread out our blanket for the bonfire. Jamie talked animatedly to Sophie, enjoying the new company. We didn't even see the time pass by, but not too long after it was time to light the fire and begin with story telling. Sophie looked entranced as Billy Black retold the stories of our ancestors. I'm sure she didn't miss a single word.

I leaned back against the big log and noticed Embry down the circle from me. He smiled in my direction and I smiled back. I watched as he got up from where he was seated and made his way to me. Just before he reached us, Sophie turned to me and said, "I'm going to find Chogan. I have a few questions for him. Do you mind?"

"No go ahead." I replied encouragingly. I pointed to Seth who was standing near Chogan. "He's right beside Seth. She looked over and recognized the old tribe healer.

"Thanks" She said with a smile.

Embry slid down next to me, closer then I would normally allow. But he was so warm and it was a very cold night. His body heat was more then welcomed at this point. Jamie bounced over with another marshmallow burning on a stick.

"Jamie, I told you not to burn them!" I scolded him and put out the flame. The amount of sugar he has consumed made him resilient to my mothering tone. He happily sat in my lap and started to munch on the charred remains of the marshmallow.

"How are you?" Embry finally said.

"I'm fine"

"So, you're okay with seeing Jacob and all?"

I nodded in agreement and said, "Is he okay?"

"I think he will be fine, but right now I think he's still going through the mourning stage."

"Mourning? Really?" I said doubtfully.

"Yes, Leah. Do you really think you're an easy person to get over?" I looked down a little embarrassed and taken back by his words. "I'm not surprised that he's still trying to get over it. I know I would be a mess." _Really?_ My thoughts were uncharacteristically hopeful for a change as a gust of wind blew across the sand causing me to shiver.

Embry looked down at me and said, "Are you cold?" as he wrapped his warm arm around me not waiting for my answer. I didn't say anything but I also didn't push him away. Jamie was coming down from his sugar high. He crashed moments later and fell asleep in my lap with his head tucked into my shoulder. Between the two of them, I felt so warm and found myself fighting to stay awake as I watched the flames flicker in the fire pit. It wasn't long before I dozed off too.

* * *

** NEXT CHAPTER: post BONFIRE!**

What did you think about Sophie being able to see imprint connections?

Thanks again for reading! Please review and let me know what you think, it just takes a moment ^_^


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.

*****SORRY FOR BEING AWAY FOR SO LONG *****

**A/N: **Thank you to sentinel10, o0FLAM3S0o, tdfireproof, chelley0207, Little Emily, toshii519, TaylorLautnerLover1, perceptiveoceangirl, laurazuleta18, A.C. nelli, Twilighter Tabitha, Cat60041x3, xoxolynzy28, wreckless angel for being awesome and reviewing!

So I got wrapped up in my wedding planning and other stuff. So it has been hard to focus on writing anything lately... Thank you to new reviewers who left me reviews while i was MIA. Also thanks to my regulars for reviewing the last chapter. And a BIG thank you to tdfireproof for not letting me slide and for continuously reminding me that I havent posted in months.

**This chapter is longer. Hope it was worth the wait! ^_^  
**

* * *

_Stop making the eyes at me,  
I'll stop making the eyes you.  
And what it is that surprises me  
is that I don't really want you to._

**I bet that you look good on the dancefloor** by Arctic Monkeys

* * *

**SOPHIE POV**

"Thank you Chogan" I said for the 50th time. He smiled at me and the wrinkles across his face deepen with the expression. Tonight was very eye opening for me. I would have never imagined that I would learn so much in one evening. Chogan had explained as much to as he was able to about my "developing gift" and the energy force which has ignited something inside me when I stepped foot on this sacred land.

"If you have time, please come see me tomorrow." I nodded appreciatively. Of course I would visit him tomorrow. There is so much more I want to learn, and they don't teach this stuff in school.

"I will come after lunch, I'm assuming Leah knows where you live." He nodded his head once and then looked over my shoulder.

"Ah, young Seth. How are you tonight?" I turned to see Seth approaching us.

"Can I steal her away?" He asked confidently for someone his age.

"Of course. It was nice talking to you Sophie. Have a good evening." He replied and departed in the direction of a group of elders.

"So what's up?" I said turning to Seth, who gave me an unusually wide grin.

"Ummm… I just wanted to know if you're enjoying the bonfire.. and …" he trailed off lost for words with a goofy grin plastered across his face. "You look pretty in the moonlight", he said shyly. I laughed lightly and looked to his hands. He noticed that I spotted the bottle he had been holding and moved it behind him.

Leah always talked about him as if he was a little kid, but there was nothing childish about him. He had a strong jaw line, a low brow and deep brown eyes that sparkled with specs of gold in any light. He was shorter then Jacob and Embry, but like the two of them he had broad shoulders and a good build overall.

"Little Seth, is that beer in your hand?" I teased, raising an eyebrow and ignoring the fact that he was far from 'little'.

"No" he said while faking innocence.

"You're not old enough to drink yet."

"Technically no, but if we lived in another country I would be… like in Canada, I heard that you can drink at the age of 18 if you live in Montreal."

"But you _don't_ live there… who gave you the alcohol?" He had a sudden look of panic, as if he was afraid to betray his provider. "Don't worry, I won't yell at them." He relaxed at my words.

"If you won't yell at them, then why do you want to know?" He wasn't going to give it up easily I could see. So I looked around for someone with unsound moral judgment and spotted Jacob sitting off to the side near the bonfire, with a pile of bottles around him. I looked back at Seth, giving him a sly smile and turned towards Jacob.

"Hey wait! Please don't say anything to him." He ran after me and put his hand on my shoulder to hold me back. I stopped and turned to face him with a look of disbelief. Seth's hand felt incredibly warm, but that was not what I found strange. His fingers pulsed against my shoulder. It was the first time I felt energy entering my body though a part of me other then the soles of my feet. It was strong energy and I suddenly felt as if I could not keep it at bay. My eye lids felt heavy and I felt my legs give out beneath me. I fought to control it but the energy was too strong.

* * *

**SETH POV**

_Holy shit, what's going on?_ I thought. She passed out again and almost fell to the ground. Thankfully I wasn't completely sloshed, otherwise I wouldn't have had the reflexes to catch her before she hit the ground. I held one arm around her waist holding her up, the other on the back of her neck supporting her head. Normally, holding a beautiful girl in my arms in this way would be _awesome!_, but I was panicking because he breathing was very shallow.

I moved her face closer to mine to feel her breath on my cheek. This was standard first aid procedure, I know for a fact since I have taken plenty of first aid courses. Lifting her in my arms, I moved over to the side and laid her down near the fire. Surprisingly, everyone was too engrossed in conversation and partying, that they didn't notice anything was wrong. I wanted to make sure she was stable before I went looking for help. I took off my sweater, rolling it, I placed it beneath her neck.

Her hair was matted against her forehead and her beautiful skin had a tinge of paleness to it. But as she rested for a moment, the colour in her cheeks began to return and she opened her eyes. She took a moment to survey her surroundings and then looked upon me with her beautiful brown eyes. _Dammit' why the hell couldn't I have imprinted on her!_

"What are you?" she asked as she looked me over. She lifted her finger slightly and touched my arm, then quickly retracted her hand as if she was shocked by an electrical current.

"Are you okay?" I replied, not understanding her question. "How is your head?" She moved her hand to her forehead and closed her eyes momentarily. The fluidity of her movements was amazing.

"I'll be fine Seth, but you didn't answer my original question. What are you?" Her question puzzled me. Did she see what I was? Could she tell that I was a werewolf? I heard Embry and Jacob talking about Sophie's "gift", but I wasn't sure what exactly her abilities were…

"I'm Seth,… human… Leah's brother… and a little bit drunk as you pointed out a few minutes ago…" I said with a smile. She laughed at the last description but shook her head lightly.

"No Seth, there's much more to you. You practically rendered me paralyzed with the energy flowing through you." She touched my skin again, this time running her palm up my arm, giving me goosebumps.

"I.. I don't know what you are talking about." I stuttered in response. She looked up at me with begging eyes and I felt as if I could tell her anything she wanted to know, but I kept control. "Don't look at me with those eyes Sophie. I have no idea what you are talking about." Her pout turned in to a slight frown at my words.

_Imagine if I had imprinted on her!_ This girl would have me wrapped around her little finger. She's no even my imprint and the thought of her beautiful lips turning into a frown, made me want to do almost anything to make her smile.

She looked around and saw that Leah was not too far away from us, sleeping on Embry's shoulder. When Sophie saw this, she smiled in their direction.

"She looks good with him." She stated softly.

"As long as he doesn't hurt her, I'm okay with it." I replied truthfully. Embry was like a brother to me and I wouldn't mind having him in the family officially, but I was still wary of my sister dating an unimprinted wolf. I know he cares about her but in the end it probably won't be enough. Sophie shifted next to me and I returned my attention to her. She propped herself up on her palm now, sitting dangerously close to me. I moved back a few inches and she gave me a puzzled look.

"What?"

"I just don't want you to get all swoony and pass out again…" I explained.

"I think I should be good this time." She replied and ran her hand up my arm again. "It takes a moment for me to get use to it, but I'm okay now." Sophie looked up at me smiling proudly at her accomplishment. "I think I deserve a beer" She announced.

"I think you might be right."

* * *

**LEAH POV**

"Jamie" I heard someone whisper. I was not completely asleep but I was fully aware that I was in Embry's arms and therefore I wasn't going to move and disturb this situation.

"Jamie dear, it's time to go." I heard again, recognizing the voice. It was Emily and Jamie clung to my neck a little tighter.

"I don't want to go home yet mommy," he whined sleepily.

"Honey, it's late," she replied as she pulled Jamie from my arms. I finally opened my eyes and looked up at Embry who was smiling down at me.

"Did you have a good nap princess?" he teased and I nudged him in response.

"You make a pretty good pillow Embry Call. I might have to use you again." He lower his face, nuzzling into my neck.

"I'm not a pillow," he whispered shyly in to my ear and took a deep breath before continuing. "But for you, I'm willing to make an exception." His lips brushed gently against my neck as he pulled away and it took every once of strength not to kiss him in that moment. _Remember Leah! You don't want the drama!_ I scolded myself.

"I'll keep that in mind," I replied upon gathering my thoughts and then reluctantly pulled away from his embrace. I looked up at Jamie who was pouting in my direction. "What's wrong Jamie-bear?"

"I have to go home." He answered with a sniffle.

"It's okay, I'll be going home soon too. It is almost passed my bed time." He seemed to be relieved that he was not the only one who had to leave and with a quick hug he followed his mom to the parking lot.

"You're not leaving are you?" Embry said with a pout. His lip curled out just a tinge, so he still looked adorable, but without counteracting his masculinity.

"No, I think I'm ready for a beer." I announced as I got up.

"That's my girl. Let's go!" He said enthusiastically.

V_V_V_V_V_V_V_V_V_V_V_V

We found our way over to the coolers, where the beer was. As I approached, I noticed Seth chatting up some girl off to the side. I could always tell when my brother was trying to impress someone because he was standing tall, as to appear older, and was talking very animatedly to try to make his current interest laugh. It seemed to be working because all I heard was laughing from the two of them. He had his back turned to me, but I could also tell that my little brother was drunk, because he was standing very close to the girl and leaning in to talk to her even though it wasn't that noisy. Plus he kept spilling his beer!

Embry pulled two beers out of the cooler, opened one and handed it to me. He took notice of the scene unfolding off to the side and took a swig of his bottle. I did the same and proceeded to walk in Seth's direction, only to be pulled back by Embry.

"What's with you?" I said as he pulled me back.

"Leave him, he's obviously trying really hard to impress someone. I think I heard a few of his best lines just a second ago." He said laughing.

"More reason to go over there and save the girl from such torture." I said with a mischievous smile.

"How about you dance with me instead?" He offered. I looked over to the other side of the beach where the music was blaring from.

"What's in it for me?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, for one… you might learn how to dance." I scoffed at his words. "Second, your brother might actually get to second base with a girl and the rest of the guys will stop making fun of him." I ignored the second part and was still on the fact that he insulted my dancing skills.

"I danced circles around you at the bar! You barely were able to keep up with me!" I said defensively.

"It was so long ago, but I do remember you dancing circles around me… probably because you were lost on the dance floor." He teased.

"That's it Embry Call! I'll show you." I pulled him to the other side of the beach where the party was livelier and people were dancing. We got there in time for the next song to start and I was impressed with the song selection at this bonfire. Seth did a good job because the Arctic Monkeys were blasting from the speakers.

Embry gave me a devious smile, probably because he recognized the song as well. Again, his ability to find his rhythm impressed me as he pulled me closer and mouthed the first line of lyrics to me.

_Stop making the eyes at me, I'll stop making the eyes at you_

His stare was intense.

_And what it is that surprises me is that I don't really want you to. _I replied because I knew the lyrics just as well.

It was amazing how well we moved together. I took another swig of my beer, as I always dance better with some liquid courage in me, or at least I think I do. Embry lifted his beer and followed my lead chugging a good portion of his beer.

The next song started and I couldn't believe that this song was actually playing at the bonfire. Some of the other people dancing yelled in approval of the song and I looked over to where the DJ was set up to see Jared smiling ear to ear, very pleased with the response of the crowd. Embry looked over and tipped his bottle in his direction and Jared reciprocated.

The music picked up as the unmistaken sounds of AC/DC blasted their way across the beach. I was not surprised to see that Embry knew the lyrics to this song too. He sang as he swung me around with his hands on my hips.

"_'Cause the walls was shaking  
The earth was quakin'  
My mind was achin'  
And we were makin' it and __**you**__  
Shook me all night long  
Yeah you shook me all night long_"

He was showing off now but it was so hilarious. Dancing with him was so much fun, plus I'd take any excuse to be closer to him. _Just don't get use to it_, I reminded myself as Embry spun me out and pulled me in wrapping his arm around my waist. I needed to get rid of this beer so I held up my hand for him to pause and chugged it to.

"I'm impressed princess, I didn't think you'd drink anything that wasn't pink and without a straw or umbrella." Embry said with an amused look on his face. I don't understand why he keeps calling me _princess_, it's like he wants to get a rise out of me.

"Show's what you know!" I retorted. The song came to an end and then next one started, while I continued to fight against my need to be closer to him.

V_V_V_V_V_V_V_V_V_V_V_V

The crowds started thinning and it was getting late. I looked at my watch and I was surprised that I stayed out as late as I did. Embry pulled me aside and handed me another beer.

"So it looks like the night is over." He said as he looked up and down the beach. "Maybe you should find your friend."

"Sophie? I saw her earlier, leaving with my mom and Seth." I remember her waving bye to me as she headed towards the parking lot with a '_We'll talk later_' look on her face.

"Guess, the gentlemanly thing for me to do them is to escort you home?"

"Ha! Since when do I need a baby-sitter?" I shot back. "Plus you're not qualified to be watching over anyone, let alone walking home on your own."

"I just figured that with that bear still running around, that attacked Jacob and I, you may not want to walk alone. I already faced him once, I already know all his moves, he won't get any cheap shots out of me this time!" He said as he took the beer from my hand and drank the last remnants of precious liquid.

"I think I'm in better shape to take on this bear then you are!"

"How about you stay at my place?" He offered and I gave him a skeptical look.

"What kind of girl do you think I am Embry Call?"

"Not like that! Stay over. You can have my room. I'll sleep on the couch. I live just a stumble up the road. My mom won't mind." The offer sounded reasonable. It's not like I'd be sleeping with him. _But you want to and that's a risky situation!_ The beer almost muted the logical little voice inside my head… _almost,_ but not quite.

"Alright, if you put it that way… just let me text Seth so that he knows not to wait up." I sent the message quickly and we began our stumble up the road.

We must have looked so funny. I don't know if he was supporting me or if I was supporting him in this walk, but we leaned against each other and laughed hysterically as we attempted to walk in a generally straight line towards his house. We made it up the walkway and he stopped to point out that his mom's car was still not in the drive way. But maybe she was home and just got a ride from someone else. He fumbled with his keys and I laughed as he tried to find the one for his front door.

"Shhhh, Leah my mom could be in there sleeping. You gotta keep quiet." He said and I muffled my giggle in an attempt to comply. We quietly opened the door and he looked in to see if his mom's purse was in the closet by the front door.

"Looks like we are in the clear. My mom's not home yet. Let's get you settled in." he took my hand and directed me towards the back of the house where his room was. "Sorry, I didn't get a chance to clean up, I didn't expect company."

"What if you picked up some hot girl at the bonfire? You should always be prepared. Isn't that in the guy code or something?" I said as he busied himself around the room, picking up his laundry. "How many girls, have you had in here?" That question stopped him in his tracks and he turned to face me.

"Just so you know, you're the first girl in here Leah."

"Nice try mister, like I'm going to fall for that one." I replied.

"You don't have to believe me but it's true… Do you need something to sleep in? I have some clothes here." He pulled out some t-shirts and pajama bottoms from the dresser drawer.

"Do you have anything that doesn't fit you anymore… because then it may moderately fit me." He pulled out a pair of pajama pants.

"Here, these may be okay." I took the clothes and headed to the bathroom to change. Once in the bathroom, I washed my face, used the mouthwash to get the beer taste out of my mouth and changed in to the clothes that Embry gave me. The shirt was huge and so were the pants but they had a draw string on them so I adjusted them to size. I finished up and headed back to the room.

"Hey Embry, looks like it fit tha… oh shit sorry! Oh god, I'm sorry. I should've knocked." I walked in just as he was changing. My face must have been bright red and he tried to laugh it off.

"Hey, you don't have to sneak up on me, if you wanted to see the show, tickets are just $20." His face was red too but I appreciated that he tried to make a joke of the situation. From what I saw, I kind of wish I had $20 to hand him. I shook the thought from my head, because it must have been the beer influencing my thinking.

"No, I'm good." I wanted this conversation to end as soon as possible because I was way too embarrassed.

"Uhh, okay… anyway. You can sleep here and I'll be just down the hall in the living room. If you need anything just let me know. Good night." He leaned in to hug me but it was awkward after what just happened. I crawled in to the bed and tucked myself in.

Half an hour passed and I was still not asleep. I tossed and turned but couldn't find a comfortable spot. Plus it was freezing in his room. I heard the T.V. in the living room and got out of bed, making my way in a zig zag line down the hallway.

"Embry?", I said quietly as I entered the room. His head popped up from the couch in response.

"Everything okay?"

"It's really cold in your room, do you have any extra blankets or something?"

"Sure." He got up sluggishly, still under the influence. He grabbed a bunch of blankets and I followed him back to his room. I got in bed and he began to lay them all out in layers. "Good night Leah." He said again as he turned for the door.

"Embry…"

"Yeah?"

"Remember back at the bonfire, when you said that you'd make an exception for me… and…" a smile widened across his face.

"I'm not a pillow Leah."

"Yeah but you said you'd make an exception… for me." I gave him my best pout.

"Okay, okay, put the pout away and move over." I shuffled to the side, against the wall and Embry crawled in next to me. He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me closer. "Better?" he asked and I nodded smiling. He was so warm and comfortable, I felt like I could fall asleep almost immediately.

"Thanks Embry, today was fun. I needed that."

He lifted my chin and our eyes met. "I had fun too." He leaned in and kissed my cheek but didn't pull away. He just lingered there for a moment, then kissed me again, this time closer to the corner of my lips and my head began to spin. I didn't know how to react. On one hand I wanted to lean in and kiss him, straight out on the lips, with many other possible things to follow… on the other hand his may be the alcohol lowering his standards…

He pulled away slightly after the second kiss, probably waiting for a reaction, then leaned in again and my breath hitched because I knew what was coming next. His lips softly landed on mine and I hesitated to react. As he pulled away I reached up to meet his retreating lips, lightly pressing a kiss to them. He smiled against my kiss and pulled away completely.

"_I kissed a drunk girl  
I kissed a drunk girl, yes I did  
Kissed a drunk girl on the lips  
I let my guard down  
how could I have been so dumb  
Her eyes were open  
I know I am not the one_"

I laughed in response, recognizing the lyrics of Something Corporate and he continue.

"_I pulled away  
cuz you see I didn't think it would be right  
__I said let's save this  
for some other night_"

He leaned in and kissed me on the lips again, this time just as chastely as the last.

"Good night Leah."

"Sweet Dreams Embry." I replied as I snaked an arm around his waist.

* * *

Thanks again for reading! **Please review **and let me know what you think, it just takes a moment ^_^


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.

*****SORRY FOR BEING AWAY FOR SO LONG *****

**A/N: **Thank you to o0FLAM3S0o, tdfireproof, chelley0207, hgmsnoopy, Cat60041x3, toshii519, GottaLuvTwilight15, shelbron, Supernaturallysweet, laurazuleta18, perceptiveoceangirl, Twilighter Tabitha for being awesome and reviewing!

Hopefully there are still some of you out there that are willing to read this story... I have more time to write now that the wedding is over. I got married on Oct 16th ^_^

**This chapter is a short one, "fun sized" as tdfireproof would say. Hope it was worth the wait! ^_^  
**

* * *

_I wonder what you think_  
_ As we lay here in bed_  
_ I don't know what I'm thinking,_  
_ But that's better for my head_

_ When I wake up tomorrow_  
_ Will you still feel the same? _  
_ When I wake up tomorrow_  
_ Will you have changed?_

_ 'cuz I still feel the same_

**Here in your bedroom** by Goldfinger

* * *

**LEAH POV**

Incredibly comfortable…. Warm… Those where the thing my mind was registering when I began to wake up. My fingers traced the blanket before I opened my eyes and I realized that I was not in my own bed. Shifting slightly, I also recognized that I was not alone, because there was someone lying behind me.

"Mmmm… 5 more minutes" Embry murmured as he nuzzled his nose into the back of my neck and pulled me closer. His hand was under my shirt, resting comfortably over top of my naval and he moved it is slowly, tracing my skin with his warm fingers. Everything came back to me and I remember what happened last night. _Holy Crap!_ I thought as my stomach filled with warm fuzzy feelings towards Embry and my mind screamed every warning call it could possibly muster in its hung-over state. _Embry kissed me…_

The memories of the previous night slowly sifted through my brain and mixture of emotions filtered through me.

"You make a pretty good pillow Princess Leah." Embry mumbled as he continued to trace his hand over my stomach. I grinned to myself, because I was really enjoying this moment. "Are you still sleeping?" He finally asked when I didn't respond.

"You're the pillow Embry Call" I said as I turned to face him. His hand never left my skin and was now resting on the small of my back. He smiled softly and opened his sleepy eyes to meet my gaze. Yes.. gaze… there can't be any other word to describe the way a person would look at Embry at this moment because he looked radiant in the morning light. His facial features were a lot softer then his regular semi-stern look. All the worry lines on his forehead have disappeared. He just looked… peaceful.

"Did you sleep okay?"

"I would have slept better if I didn't have anyone breathing down my neck the whole night" I said in mock annoyance.

"You asked for it" He laughed in response. "_Be my pillow Embry_" he said in a mocking high pitched voice.

"I don't sound like that!" I scoffed. "How drunk were you last night?"

"Sober enough to remember what happened." His tone changed and his lips curved into a tempting smirk. "You look so beautiful in the morning", he said staring deeply into my eyes, but instead of enjoying the moment, my heart was fighting an internal battle with my brain.

"Pfft, yeah I'm sure I look incredible, smudged mascara and pillow tossed hair… I can practically pass for a runway model." I said sarcastically and averted my eyes away from his. _Brain one, heart zero!_

"Don't ruin it Leah…" he said as he lifted my chin to bring my eyes back to his, "You're amazing in so many ways." My heart did cartwheels and I slowly leaned in till our lips met in a soft kiss. _Heart ties it up, it's one-one ladies and gentlemen!_

"Thanks Embry." His stomach interrupted the moment with a load and demanding growl, causing us both to laugh. "Hungry?" I asked.

"Ha, yeah I think so. Let me just jump in the shower and I'll make us something to eat", he offered and I nodded in response. I watched as he gathered some fresh clothes and made his way to the bathroom. I sat up in bed and moments later I heard the water running.

_What the hell are you doing?_ my brain protested and I instantly felt guilty for what I just did. I'm leading him on. Nothing can ever come of this. I promised myself, no more drama. But possibly dating my ex-boyfriend's best friend has '_drama_' written all over it!

I panicked and seconds after I was searching the room for my clothes. I threw on my t-shirt and jeans, grabbing my hoodie, I rushed out of the bedroom and headed straight for the door. Sneaking out the door quietly I made my way to the wooded path behind Embry's house which lead straight to my house. I stopped at the edge of the woods and took one look back to make sure he wasn't following me, and then I turned and sprinted towards my house.

I was about half way home when I felt like I was being followed. It was as if I could hear another set of footsteps behind me, but every time I turned to look back there was no one there. I slowed to a quick walk and looked cautiously around as I continued to head towards my house. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of grey and black. The hair on the back on my neck stood up and I skidded to a stop. Frozen still, I looked ahead and I could see the light at the end of the path marking the edge of my backyard.

I shot a look to my left after hearing a rustling noise from that direction. My breathing became shallow and short, while my heart beat began to race. Next, I heard a noise behind me and jumped around to see what was there. _Nothing_ could have prepared me for this sight. It was huge and furry. _The bear!_ my mind screamed as I first took sight of the beast. But it's walk was more graceful and controlled, unlike a bears floppy steps.

A wolf! A horse sized wolf!

It was massive, with grey and black fur. Slowly, it approached me but stopped when I took a step back at about fifteen feet from me. It cocked its head to the side, as if assessing me, but made no more moves towards me. It lowered its head between its front paws and looked up at me with begging eyes, letting out a short whine. I didn't know what to make of the situation so I took another step back. At this, the wolf lifted his head and with one more whine, turned and ran down the path in the opposite direction. Turing quickly, I ran with all the power I could summon, towards my house.

I ran up the back steps and burst into the kitchen with a loud crash. Turning quickly I locked the door behind me and rested my head against the door frame while trying to catch my breath.

"Leah are you okay?" A small voice behind me broke the silence in the kitchen. I turned to find Seth and Sophie staring at me with wide eyes.

"You wouldn't believe it if I told you…" I replied.

Seth took a few steps across the kitchen until he was standing in front of me with his hands on my shoulders. "Leah, look at me. Tell me what happened."

"I thought it was a bear, it was huge and furry. But it was … nice. I mean, it didn't seem like it wanted to eat me, so that was good. It looked sad." I rambled as my head continued to spin.

"Leah what are you talking about? What did you see out there?" Seth was confused and running out of patience.

"A wolf. A gianormous wolf."

"A wolf?" He echoed back.

"Yes, and it was grey and black. It scared the crap out of me. It followed me thought the woods on the path back from Embry's house." As I spoke, Seth turned for the door and was about to go out. "Where the hell do you think you're going Seth?"

"I'm going to check it out if it's safe." He replied and broke free of my grasp on his forearm.

"Don't be crazy. What are you going to do if the wolf is still out there? Fight it?" I said in frustration as he smirked at my words.

Sophie ran up to him and put her hand on his shoulder. He immediately turned his attention to her and his expression softened. I eyed them as they wordlessly exchanged a glance. He then turned and walked out the back door. Sophie looked on as he walked down the steps and into the forest, while I continued to examine her expression.

"What the hell was all that about?" I asked and Sophie realized that she was staring in to the forest as she stood at the back door. She turned shyly to face me and looked at her feet. "Sophie, is there something you want to tell me?" I put my hands on my hips and cocked at eyebrow.

"Umm… well Leah. See, it's kinda funny and you're going to laugh." She paused and took a deep breath. "I really like Seth."

"But he's my brother! And you've known him for how long? Two days?" I raised my voice and Sophie shot her eyes up at me.

"I'm not marrying him or anything. I'm just saying I like him… a lot." I rolled my eyes at her in the most exaggerated way I could as she spoke.

"Fine. But you are going to regret it. This is not the life you want Sophie, I know you. You're not a small town girl looking to settle down on a reserve. Once you get sucked in to this type of life style, it is hard to get out. Plus, you're still in school. What are you going to do? Have a long distance relationship?"

She nodded and said, "Actually, we haven't talked about dating or anything… but there is something there and I wanted you to know before it went any further. But, if this is something that will ruin our friendship then please tell me. I wouldn't want to risk losing you as a friend." My expression softened because I could see the hurt in her eyes. I walked up to her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"You are my best friend Sophie. I wouldn't want to lose your friendship either and if Seth will make you happy then I want you to try it out. Who knows,.. maybe one day we will be sisters." That thought brought a smile to my face.

**Seth POV**

I ran into the forest and quickly made my way into the thick of it to undress and phase. I was pissed because from Leah's description, I knew that it was Embry who followed her home. What an idiot! Was it absolutely necessary to scare the crap out of her? I phased and followed his scent back to his house. Standing at the edge of the clearing, I called him out with a howl and waited impatiently as he made his way to the backyard.

"What do you want Seth?" He said as he was still in human form. I growled in response and bared my teeth. "What the hell is your problem? I'm not phasing to scrap it out with you lil' pup. So if you have something to say to me, phase and face me in person." His words only pissed me off further. There was no way I was going to phase back now. Instead I stalked closer to him as he gave me an unimpressed look. If he could only read my mind… my sister does not have to get involved in all this crap. At that thought I let out another low growl.

The anger flowed through me freely as I stared down Embry. In wolf form, I easily towered over him, increasing my feelings of dominance, despite Embry's higher rank in the pack. He must have sensed it and he did not like it one bit. His attempts to intimidate me were useless in human form and he knew it.

"Fine have it your way." He said and just as he finished his sentence he phased.

"_What the hell is your problem Seth?_" Embry shouted as I bombarded him with the images of Leah's terrified expression as she burst through the door.

"_That's my problem you idiot!_" I said as I watched him wince at the thought of Leah being in danger.

"_She was safe. It was me. I thought that something may have happened to her. She just disappeared from my room. We didn't argue or anything… so I figured that something was wrong. I had to find her, so I followed her scent."_ He explained and I saw how panicked he was when he returned to his room and found it empty.

"_You still shouldn't have shown her to yourself in wolf form. Now she's going to be scared to go outside._" I replied as my anger quickly began simmering down and silence filled our minds for an extended moment. He felt guilty for his negligence and I could tell he really cares about her. It was different from Jacob's feelings for her. There was something more, not an imprint connection but something like it. It was similar to a connection I was beginning to notice between Sophie and I.

"_Sophie?_" Embry's thoughts echoed the name as it crossed my mind.

"_Yeah… I can't explain it, but there's something there._" I replied. Silence hit again. We must have looked pretty stupid. Two giant wolves standing in the backyard of a small house, just staring at each other.

"_Sooo, am I still invited for dinner tomorrow?_" Embry thought as his stomach growled in hunger.

"_Yeah you are, and so is your mom._ _Don't be late or we will be starting dinner without you_."

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**Next:** There will be a dinner at the Clearwater house and Leah will have to face Embry again, who is waiting for an explanation as to why she ditched him the day after the bonfire.

Thanks again for reading! **Please review **and let me know what you think, it just takes a moment ^_^


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.

*****SORRY FOR BEING AWAY FOR SO LONG... _again_ *****

I havent updated in such a long time, I almost forgot how to upload a new chapter! Crazy right? This chapter is for perceptiveoceangirl (I hope it makes you smile) and tdfireproof, who never stopped pestering me to update and always reminded me how behind i was in my story (Thank you for keeping me motivated)

**A/N: **Thank you to o0FLAM3S0o, hilja, toshii519, tdfireproof, Supernaturallysweet, Babaksmiles, perceptiveoceangirl, laurazuleta18, Cat60041x3, and HappyKitty95 for being awesome and reviewing!

WELCOME NEW READERS!

* * *

_There's nothing worse _  
_ In this world _  
_ Than payback from a _  
_ Jealous girl _  
_ The laws of man _  
_ Don't apply _  
_ When blood gets in _  
_ A woman's eye _

**Ten Cent Pistol** by The Black Keys

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**EMBRY POV**

"MOM! Let's go, we're going to be late" I shouted as I fussed with my collar. _Stupid dress shirts! _

"Relax hun, they aren't going to start without us," mom said as she descended down the stairs. "Aww, well don't you look handsome." She looked at me adoringly.

"Quit it mom" I adjusted the collar once more. "I don't understand why I can't wear a t-shirt like I always do… I have no one to impress. This stupid collar is driving me insane."

She laughed and adjusted my collar, making it a bit more comfortable by unbuttoning the top button.

"Leah is going to be floored when she sees you." mom announced.

"Mom, we've been over this. Leah and I are just friends. It's not like that." I protested but she just stood there smirking at me. I rolled my eyes and handed her coat to her. "Let's just go…"

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**LEAH POV**

There were plenty of times I wanted to call Embry and apologize but I couldn't get myself to pick up the phone. It was better this way. We had to stop this nonsense before the situation got out of hand and someone got hurt. There was an internal battle waging since the day I left him. I've spent the days in a haze, not really paying much attention to my surroundings.

"Leah?" my mom's voice pierced through my thoughts.

"Yeah mom?" She was standing with her hands on her hips, near the stove.

"Are you going to finish setting that table or do I have to get Sophie in here to help?"

I didn't have to tell her something was wrong, she already knew, but somehow she knew I wouldn't want to talk about it so she never asked. I was grateful for that because I didn't need anyone to know what was going on in my head.

"No, I got it." I picked up the plates and started distributing them around the table. "Why's there 11 settings?" I was confused and went over the guest list in my head… Mom, me, Seth, Sophie, Jacob, his dad, Embry, his mom…. there were two extra settings.

"I ran into Charlie at the grocery store. He was buying one of those Thanksgiving Hungry Man microwave dinners. We started talking and it turned out that his niece and he had no where to go for Thanksgiving dinner…so I invited them.

I almost dropped the rest of the plates.

"Are you serious? Katherine is coming too?" I couldn't believe it. "While you're at it, why didn't you invite Sam and Emily as well?" I said in anger but my mom was confused.

"I thought you liked Katherine? Don't you two work together?"

"Oh we were doing just fine until she started moving in on Jacob!" I squeezed the porcelain plate in my hand, turning my knuckles white.

"Oh dear… I didn't know. I'm sorry, but I can't call them now and tell them that dinner has been cancelled. They are already on their way here." At those words, the door bell rang. We both turned instantly to the door and I swallowed hard.

This is going to be the worst Thanksgiving Dinner ever!

Mom went to get the door as I sulked and finished setting the table. I heard my mom happily greeting her guests at the door but I was not paying enough attention to listen _who_ was actually here.

"Hello there Leah." Billy greeted me as he rolled his way into the dining area.

"Hello Billy." I said with a half smile, and looked up just in time to see Jacob rushing past the entrance to get to the stairs. Billy heard his son's heavy footsteps and quickly turned.

"Jacob, aren't you going to say hello?" Jacob turned back and waved awkwardly in my direction, then quickly ran up the stairs to Seth's room. "I'm sorry Leah, I don't know what's gotten into him." I just shrugged in response, because Jacob's 'weird' behaviour was very low on the priority list… First and foremost, I dreaded Katherine's arrival.

The doorbell rang again.

"Leah, can you get the door." Mom shouted from the dining area where she was helping Billy get settled at the table. I sighed deeply made my way to the door.

I don't know what was worse, facing Embry, who was standing at the door with him mom as I opened, or having Katherine in his place… at this moment I'd say Embry. He just stood there, with a blank look on his face until his mom nudged him.

"Hello there sweetheart." Embry's mom pushed passed him and gave me a hug. "Don't just stand there Embry, say hello." She turned and said to him.

"Hey."

"Hi." I replied and quickly closed the door after him. He looked really good in that dress shirt... he pretty much looks good in anything and almost nothing. My thoughts returned to the night of the bonfire. I really just wanted to turn around and apologize for running out on him but I couldn't do it. My mouth was dry and I just couldn't find the words. I could feel a distance between us and I didn't like it one bit.

Mom, Sophie and I started to bring out the food in to the dining area, and moments later, Seth, Jacob and Embry all appeared in the room. The three of them sat next to Billy on one end of the table, staring at the feast in front of them.

"Can we eat mom?" Seth said with begging eyes.

"No, there's still two more guests coming." Mom scolded him lightly as if he should have known better. To his relief and my dismay the doorbell rang once again seconds later.

Katherine and Chief Swan, took their spots across the table from me and said hello to all. I don't know what it was about this girl but even before any words escaped her lips, I wanted to punch her. I looked to Sophie for support and she seemed to understand exactly how I felt. She squeezed my hand under the table and gave me her '_it's going to be okay_' look.

The dinner was uneventful. Mainly, just some minor chatter between the parents. I was glad when it was time to clean up and a grabbed a stack of plates from the table and rushed to the kitchen. I started washing dishes and didn't even hear anyone walk in to the kitchen until Embry was standing right behind me. He set the extra stack of plates next to the stack already there and wrapped an arm around my waist. I didn't look up and continued washing the plates.

"Leah, please stop for a moment." He said softly. It was a complete change from his earlier demeanor. I didn't react, just continued to concentrate on my task. "Leah, please… this isn't easy for me. I don't know what I did wrong. As far as I remember everything that night was good…better then good. So needless to say I was pretty shocked when you took off on me the next morning,.. I need to know why you left. What did I do wrong? Let me fix it." His words sent chills down my back and sincerity of his concerned tone pulled at my heart strings. I put the dish down and turned to face him reluctantly.

"Embry, it's not you, it's me… I know that sounds like a really crappy explanation but it's the best one I can give." He shook his head as I spoke.

"No, I can't accept that as an answer. Whatever it is, you can tell me." He put his hands on my hips and turned me to face his the whole way. I was not able to avoid his eyes this time and the soapy water ran down my arm to my elbow.

"Embry, please don't make this any harder. I'm not the right person for you and you will soon realize that."

"Leah, please…" his voice faded as he pulled me closer, the warmth from his body radiating between us, pulling me closer. He tilted my head up and I knew what was coming next. His lips were dangerously close to mine and I was about to be defeated on my own turf.

"Ahem." Someone cleared their throat from the doorway. We both turned to see Katherine standing there with a condescending glare. "I seriously can't believe my eyes. I expected this from _her_," she pointed to me with disgust, "but you Embry! Jacob is your best friend. How could you do this to him! No wonder he came running to me for comfort." Even though I wasn't with Jacob, those words infuriated me. The thought of her and Jacob together made my blood boil.

"Excuse me! Jacob went running to you? More like you chased him into a corner." I shot back.

"Jacob knows and he was okay with this." Embry explained, but Katherine just shook her head at him.

"You should be ashamed of yourself Embry. As his best friend, last thing you should be doing is sleeping with the enemy." Embry's shoulders dropped at her words.

"Katherine, mind your own business." He replied weakly. I didn't like to see him this defeated. Technically, nothing really happened and it's not like we were about to start dating.

Jacob showed up behind Katherine with a stack of plates and my eyes darted to his.

"What's going on? Why does Leah look like she's going to kill someone?" Jacob asked.

"Your girlfriend is about to get a beating, if she doesn't start minding her own business." I replied quickly and she laughed at me condescendingly. Jacob was about to protest against my comment but Katherine interrupted him.

"Bitch please, as if I'm afraid of you. Psst" She retorted back and turned to look at Jacob.

In that moment I don't know what took over me, but it sure as hell was a long time coming…. I lunged at her. We crashed through the doorway and in to the hall. She grabbed my hair and pulled it at the roots, but my pent up rage towards her masked the pain and I slammed her into the wall. My mom was yelling in the background and I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist pulling me away from her.

Embry held me back as Katherine picked her self up off of the floor.

"Is that all you got?" She smirked at me and I wanted nothing more then to wipe that smirk off her face. I reached and my fist connected with her face and she dropped to the floor, no longer smirking.

"LEAH!" my mom yelled, but I didn't take my eyes off of Katherine, her cheek quickly turning a multitude of colours.

"Get her out of here." Seth yelled. Sophie stood next to him, still holding a hand to her lips with an awe struck expression on her face. Embry half carried me out the door to the backyard.

I heard the commotion inside but everything seemed so surreal. By now the sky went black and a thick rain clouds swarmed dangerously overhead. I walked out into the center of the yard and let the misty sprinkle of rain fall on my face.

"Are you insane Leah? That's the police chief's niece you just punched out." Embry followed me out into the center of the yard. I ignored him, took a deep breath and closed my eyes. He didn't say anything more. Instead, he just allowed me a moment of silence to collect my thoughts until the sprinkle of rain began to turn into heavier drops of November rain. I smiled in that moment thinking of how fitting those it was that I was standing out in the rain in November…. November Rain. The lyrics of the song replayed in my head and it all made sense to me.

_Sometimes I need some time on my own  
Sometimes I need some time all alone  
Everybody needs some time on their own  
Don't you know you need some time all alone_

"I'm leaving" I announced quietly.

"What? You can't!" Embry protested immediately.

"Just for a short period of time…. maybe until after Christmas. The winter holidays are in two weeks and I'll be off from work. I'll just take my vacation early."

We heard the engine of a car start up on the other side of the house and a car door slammed, then another. Moments later my mom was standing at the screen door to the backyard glaring in my direction.

"Leah! Get your ass inside." She then turned on her heel and moved away from the door. Embry took me by the hand to pull me towards the house and a fierce pain shot up my arm.

"Ooooww that hurts." He pulled back his hand immediately looking at my swollen hand.

"Look what you did to yourself."

"Well I hope her face looks worse." I said with an evil smile as I inspected my hand. Embry just shook his head.

"Let's go inside." He turned and walked up the step to the back door. With a reluctant sigh I followed.

My mom was standing in the living room, twitching impatiently.

"Explain!" She said immediately. "Tell me why my sweet Leah has turned into a hooligan."

I just shrugged in response.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you. This type of behaviour is not tolerated in this house. We raised you better then that Leah."

"You wouldn't understand mom." I replied not making eye contact with her.

"I'm not stupid Leah!"

"I didn't say you were mom." I interjected quickly.

"But you implied it, assuming that I wouldn't understand why you just attacked Katherine." Her anger was fading and was turning into hurt, so I told her everything that had happened since I met Katherine, and all that she said to me in the kitchen earlier that day. My mom just looked at me and shook her head.

"You're lucky Chief Swan isn't pressing charges. It wouldn't be good for your teaching record." Her words rang true. I never even considered how my action would affect the rest of my life.

"Mom,… I want to go away for a bit." She was about to protest but I stopped her. "Not for long. I'll be back this time. I love my kids and I'll be back to teach." She settled down a bit.

"But you can't run every time there is a problem Leah"

"I'm not running, just taking a break to collect myself." She didn't agree.

"I think you should stay,… but if you need to leave then go." I leaned forward and kissed the tear that rolled on to her cheek.

"I promise, I'll be back." She nodded and swept my bangs to the side of my face.

"We'll be here."

I told Sophie about my plan to go back to Seattle with her and I think she was kind of disappointed because she was planning on returning to La Push for Christmas break to spend more time with Seth. But she understood why I wanted to go back with her. We planned to leave the next day.

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******************** Thanks again for reading! Please review and let me know what you think, it just takes a moment ^_^ ************************


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.

HAPPY BDAY TDFireProof, This is your bday present... hope you like it! :P

Thank you to everyone who's been reading, and to all those wonderful ppl who have added my story to their Favorites. **Special thanks to**HappyKitty95, perceptiveoceangirl, sentinel10, tdfireproof, hgmsnoopy, o0FLAM3S0o, laurazuleta18, Babaksmiles, night1001, Cat60041x3, for being awesome and reviewing!

WELCOME NEW READERS!

* * *

_Love..._  
_served until death do us part,_  
_I'm drifting in the dark_  
_Wounded and wishing to fall,_  
_Into your faithful arms_

_I gave my life to save her_  
_The ocean turned to red_  
_In the fall, in the fall,_  
_when the tide took them all_

**The Navy Song** by Billy Talent

* * *

**LEAH POV**

I doidn't see this as taking a step back. I'm just taking a time out…. then I'll be back. Sophie stood in the door way with an unconvinced look, as if she knew exactly what I was thinking.

"You are running away." She stated plainly and I rolled my eyes without turning around.

"Don't roll your eyes at me." Sophie said immediately and I smiled for the first time in 48 hrs.

"It's just for the Christmas break, and then I'll come home."

"Of course your will…. because I'll kick you out of the apartment on December 26th." She smiled.

"You have everything?" I said as I picked up my bags. She nodded and we headed out the door.

* * *

**JACOB POV**

I have never been so confused in my entire life. One moment, everything is going great with Leah, the next moment my heart is pulling me into the unknown towards my dead-loves look-a-like. Except Katherine is nothing like Bella…. or maybe she is exactly like her, but it took this long for me to realize it. She's manipulative, passionate, crazy…

"_Them bitches are crazy."_ Paul butted in.

"_Go away Paul, I really don't need your garbage right now!"_ I immediately changed direction and ran the other way. For a wolf my size I was pretty quick at changing directions.

"_Oh come on now! This is no way to live. You're so emo is hurts."_ He laughed.

"_Seriously Paul, get lost."_

"_But I can't get lost, I'm a guy, we have a natural sense of direction. We never get lost, we just take the scenic route."_

"_Please, you have to use your GPS to get out of bed." _

Paul laughed and I laughed too. I guess the dumb oaf is good for something.

"_Hey! I'm not an oaf." _Paul shot back and I laughed louder.

"_Thanks Paul, I needed that."_ I was nearing my house so I decided to phase out early. I dressed near the tree where I usually hide a spare t-shirt and shorts.

As came up to my yard I noticed a familiar smell…. Katherine.

She was sitting on the hood of her car with a bottle of liquor in hand. My dad was in the window with a disappointed look on his face and nodded his head in her direction, nudging me to go talk to her.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I neared. She looked up at me with a half glazed look and smiled.

"Waiting for you, of course."

"Well I'm here so…."

"I love you Jacob." I choked as the words escaped her lips.

"You can't be serious?" I asked incredulously, but she nodded like child. "Give me a break Kat, I can't take this shit anymore. You're ruining my friendships, you're starting unnecessary trouble. I need you out of my life." I said the last part hesitantly because I didn't know how she would react. Her eyes narrowed and her whole demeanor changed. The fire in her eyes seared through me in a glance.

"Be careful what you wish for Jacob." She warned. But I wasn't going to be manipulated anymore.

"That's what I want Kat." She nodded and attempted to gracefully slide down the hood of her car. It didn't work out too well; she probably had been drinking for too long. "On second thought, why don't you come inside? How much have you had to drink?" She smiled wickedly.

"Well, you changed your mind quickly. "

"It's only because you seem to have had a bit too much to drink." I explained. She waltz her way to the front door, still hanging on to her liquor bottle. I put her to sleep in the living-room, despite her protests.

I was tired myself and I went upstairs to sleep. Patrolling and all this recent drama, was really wearing down on me.

I woke up an hour after and went downstairs to check on Kat but she was not on the couch. I rushed to the front door to find her car gone as well. My dad rolled up to the house when I was standing in the window.

"Where is Katherine's car?" He asked.

"I think she took off when I fell asleep…. she's been drinking."

"I'll call Charlie. Don't worry Jake. He'll find her and she'll be alright." My dad tried to reassure me.

* * *

**Sophie POV**

We packed the car and said our goodbyes. My heart was strained because we were parting. Seth smiled comfortingly at me from the top of the driveway, as if he knew we would be together sooner then I had imagined.

I didn't want to leave; my 6th sense was telling me something… I felt an energy pulling me back to the house. The feeling grew stronger as we drove further down the road.

"Leah, I think I forgot something." I tried to stall until I figured out what the problem was.

"Don't be silly Sophie, we went through the room twice to make sure you didn't leave anything behind." Leah was on to me. "We'll be on the highway in moments." I saw the marker for the on ramp and my heart got heavy. I had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

**Leah POV**

I thought it was cute that Sophie and Seth got together… or were "getting to know" each other. I could tell that she didn't want to leave but she couldn't stay in La Push forever and neither could I. The rain began to fall as we passed through Forks. It was as if the small town was sad to see us go.

The rain picked up as I cautiously steered the car on to the highway.

I heard cars honking behind us, but when I looked up into the rearview mirror, it was already too late. The crash happened so quickly. We spun out of control as the other vehicle rear ended us. Other cars were trying to get out of our way as we spun towards the center medium. I couldn't even scream as I gripped the steering wheel, trying to regain control.

It felt like time stood still, but we finally crashed into the metal barrier. Our airbags deployed and knocked the wind out of us. I scream in agony as my arm crushed against the door and I felt a warmth engulf my face and blur my vision.

The last thing I saw was Sphie's bruised body lying lifelessly next to me.

* * *

******************** Thanks again for reading! Please review and let me know what you think, it just takes a moment ^_^ ************************


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.

Happy belated Birthday to my super awesome friends **SupernaturallySweet** and **PerceptiveOceanGirl**. Miss you both and hope to see you soon!

Thank you to everyone who's been reading, and to all those wonderful ppl who have added my story to their Favorites. **Special thanks to** perceptiveoceangirl, solid as a cloud, tdfireproof, sentinel10, hgmsnoopy, Babaksmiles, o0FLAM3S0o, shelbron, HappyKitty95, laurazuleta18, Angel N Darkness, solid as a cloud , and connect2tjb for being awesome and reviewing!

* * *

**Story re-cap for all of those who may have forgotten what the story has been all about so far.**

Chapter 1: Leah is coming home to teach at the local school.

Chapter 2: Leah gets reintroduced to Embry

Chapter 3: Leah meets her knight in shining armor in the form of Jacob on a bike after her car breaks down on the first day of school and finds out that one of her students, Jamie, is Sam and Emily's son.

Chapter 4: Jacob takes her to his special spot on the cliff.

Chapter 5: Jacob daydreams about Leah. Leah goes to check pick up on her car at the shop and ends up almost kissing Embry. Embry realizes his feelings for Leah…

Chapter 6: Jacob interrupts the almost kiss between Embry and Leah. Jacob asks Leah out.

Chapter 7: Leah and Jacob's date

Chapter 8: Leah goes to pick up her car. Jacob suspects something is going on between his best friend and Leah.

Chapter 9: Jamie invites Leah to his birthday party. There's a new substitute teacher in town, Ms. Katherine Lilly.

Chapter 10: Jamie's birthday party. Leah gets to know Katherine.

Chapter 11: Leah, Katherine, Jacob and Embry get stuck joining the Halloween Decorating Committee. Jacob sees Katherine for the first time and thinks she looks just like his dead ex-love Bella, you just happens to be her cousin.

Chapter 12: Double date night. Leah notices that Katherine is hitting on Jacob. Jacob spends the night

Chapter 13: the four of them go out after working at the school. Embry and Leah dance as Katherine continues her pursuit of Jacob.

Chapter 14: Halloween party! Leah kisses Embry but thinks its Jacob until she realizes that Jacob wasn't dressed as Batman.

Chapter 15: Embry is torn between his loyalties to his friend and the girl he has feelings for. Leah wonders who the mystery guy was.

Chapter 16: Katherine finds Bella's diary hidden in the floor boards and decides to use it to help her get Jacob. Jacob almost kisses Bella but gets interrupted by Embry.

Chapter 17: Embry and Jacob beat the crap out of each other. As a result Embry has to stay at the Clearwater house until he recovers under the watchful eye of Sue, who's a nurse at the local hospital.

Chapter 18: Jacob and Leah breakup

Chapter 19: Embry and Leah connect further

Chapter 20: Movie night with Embry

Chapter 21: Jacob and Embry are friends again

Chapter 22: Sophie comes to town and the guys are afraid they might imprint on her.

Chapter 23: Bonfire! Sophie passes out. Chogan, the tribe healer talked to Sophie about her gift.

Chapter 24: Bonfire! Seth crushes on Sophie. Embry and Leah, dance and drunk walk home. Leah spends the night at Embry's.

Chapter 25: Leah takes off in the morning, afraid of falling in love and getting stuck in a small town. Embry follows her as a wolf and freaks her out.

Chapter 26: Embry comes over for Thanksgiving dinner and Leah is forced to face him after ditching him. Leah punches out Katherine.

Chapter 27: Leah decides she needs a break from La Push and makes up her mind to leave with Sophie and not return until Christmas. Jacob cuts ties with Katherine. Leah and Sophie end up in a horrific crash on their way out of town.

* * *

_Maybe in another life_  
_ I could find you there_  
_ Pulled away before your time_  
_ I can't deal it's so unfair_  
_ And it feels_  
_ And it feels like_  
_ Heaven's so far away_  
_ And it feels_  
_ Yeah it feels like_  
_ The world has grown cold_  
_ Now that you've gone away_

**Gone Away** by The Offspring

* * *

**Seth POV**

I moped all day around the house as the girls got ready to leave. She was still here and I was already missing her. I pulled Sophie aside when Leah went out to pack her stuff in the car. I took her hand and lead her to my room. She sat down carelessly on my bed, smiling at me. How could she smile at a time like this?

"Why are you so sad?" She said as she tucked her hair behind her ear. I thought it was a stupid question but decided not to answer sarcastically.

"Because you're leaving…"

"I'll see you again soon. I have a good feeling about it." I smiled. She's shared her gift with me after Chogan, our tribe healer, explained to her exactly what it was. I wished I could share my secret with her too, but she's not my imprint so I'm bound to silence.

She pulled me towards her and moved herself to the center of my bed. I pulled her up against me, staring in to her beautiful bright eyes and she reached out to kiss me. I threaded my fingers through her hair and kissed her deeper. If this was going to be the last time I see her, for a long time, I'm going to make it count.

Sophie broke the kiss with a smile against my lips and pulled me down on to the bed. Her hands snakes their way down my stomach to the belt loops of my jeans. My stomach tensed as she pulled me further in. With a playful smile she kissed me again, this time harder and I let go.

It is easy to lose yourself in the arms of a beautiful girl. I felt her warm hands find their way underneath my shirt and around my waist. _Does that mean that I'm allowed to put my hands up her shirt?_ It was a good question, but then Sophie ran her tongue across my lips in the sexiest way and I completely lost my train of thought. I broke the kiss and made my way down her neck to her collarbone. Her skin was so soft on my lips that it made me want her even more. Her breathing picked up as my hand slid up her side, resting right below the evil metal barrier of her bra. I didn't want to push it, so I stopped there, despite the painful protests coming from every fiber of my being… one in particular.

"SEEETH!" Leah yelled from the bottom of the stairs. "Can you help me pack the car?"

"Ah..uh.. yeah I'll be right there" I said, trying not to sound flustered, while Sophie giggled beneath me.

"Gotta love that girl…" She said with a smile and I let out a very frustrated sigh. I kissed her one last time and went to get Leah's last bag from her room.

After the girls left, I went wondering around the res and found Chogan on his way home from a fishing trip.

"Hi there Seth" he greeted me. "I would turn back if I were you, there are some serious rain clouds coming our way. I was out fishing and the winds were really picking up." He looked me over and saw something in my face.

"What?"

"Don't worry Seth, it will all work itself out soon enough."

"I don't think so, the closer I get to her the more I feel like I'm being inconsiderate of her feelings because she and I are not meant to be. I didn't imprint." Chogan just smiled.

"Don't let the whole imprint thing get you down."

"But what if I do to her what Sam did to my sister. I wouldn't want to inflict that kind of pain on her." With a crack of thunder, the rain came down in an instant. Chogan pulled up his hood and motioned for us to get going.

We were almost home when it happened. It felt like a surge of energy coming at me and it knocked Chogan and I clear off of our feet. I was actually able to see it coming. It looked like the blast of a nuclear bomb, except it only affected us and left all homes and trees intact.

I shook it off and moved to check on Chogan.

"Chogan, Chogan! Are you okay?" He batted my hand away, dismissing my concern.

"What was that?" He said as he lifted himself off the ground. That's when we heard a wolf call.

"That's Sam. I have to go see what he wants." We turned down the road to Sam's place. I ran ahead and found Sam running my way out of the forest.

"Did you feel that Seth?"

"Yeah, we both did." I motioned back to Chogan, who was making his way to my side.

"Emily didn't feel it, but it knocked me and Quill right out of our seats." His cell phone rang cutting his story short. I could vaguely hear the person on the other end of the conversation, it was Billy. Sam's expression turned grave and his eyes darted in my directions.

"What's wrong?" I immediately asked. He held up his hand to silence me as he continued to listen to Billy.

"We have to get to the hospital. There's been an accident."

"WHAT!" I half shouted and instantly thought of mom, then Leah and Sophie. "What happened?"

"Leah and Sophie have been in an accident." I looked to Sam and to Chogan, who were waiting for me to react, but fear struck me in a most immobilizing way. I couldn't react. _What if they don't make it?_

"Let's go." Sam prompted me to move as he shook me by the shoulders and pushed me in the direction of his truck. I jumped in the back of the pick-up, while Sam, Quil and Chogan sat in the cab in front. My mind kept spinning as the wind rushed by me at a frantic speed as Sam nailed the gas pedal to the floor all the way to the hospital.

* * *

Yeah, i know that was really short but there is more coming...

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****************** Thanks again for reading! Please review and let me know what you think, it just takes a moment ^_^ **********************


	29. Chapter 29

******Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer owns everything Twilight related.

Hi everyone! Sorry again for being away for so long. I got an iPhone a couple of weeks ago and I have been working on this chapter using the "Notepad" App. It's awesome ^_^

Thank you to shelbron , Supernaturallysweet, hgmsnoop , connect2tjb , o0FLAM3S0o , laurazuleta18 , Angel N Darkness , perceptiveoceangirl , solid as a cloud , Blackwater101 for being awesome and reviewing!

* * *

_Let me be your everlasting light_  
_ The sun when there is none _  
_ I'm a shepherd for you _  
_ And I'll guide you through _  
_ Let me be your everlasting light_

_Oh darling, can't you see _  
_ I'm shining just for you _  
_ Loneliness is over _  
_ Dark days are through_

**"Everlasting Light" by The Black Keys**

* * *

**Seth POV**

Billy was waiting for us at the Emergency Entrance when we pulled up. His face looked dark and concerned.

"Are they alright? What happened?" I fired questions at Billy the moment I was in shouting range.

"They haven't arrived yet. I'm waiting for the ambulance. Maybe you should go find your mother Seth. I haven't been able to reach her and I think she's working inside right now." I looked to the road hoping to see an ambulance coming but there was none.

"I'll be right back." I rushed in and turned down the first corridor, knowing exactly where my mom would be.

"Seth?" She gave me a surprised look when I burst through the door of the elderly care wing. "What's wrong?"

"Mom! Leah and Sophie have been in an accident. We have to get to the emergency ward now." I turned and ran knowing that my mother would follow with out question. My heart pounded in my chest as I ran. I was able to hear commotion coming from the direction of the Emergency Entrance and in the distance I could see paramedics rushing in with a gurney, Chogan steps behind and I knew it was Sophie.

"Is she okay? SOPHIE!" I ran faster and skidded to a stop at doors that were clearly marked _Employees Only_. Sam pulled me back knowing that I would burst through them without hesitation.

"Seth, relax. She is alive." Sam said, still holding my shoulders.

The next ambulance pulled up and there was even more shouting and hospital staff running for the door. A group of paramedics pulled Leah out of the back doors and we automatically noticed that they were already administering CPR. She wasn't breathing. I turned to look at my mom who was frozen in horror at the sight of her child in that state.

"My baby girl!" She wept while running up to the door as the paramedics rolled Leah in and handed her off to the ER doctors. The words _sudden cardiac arrest_ rang in the air as the paramedics updated the doctor of her condition. The paramedics stepped away as the hospital staff took over and looked expectantly through the restricted area doors along side us. My mom fell to her knees, her body shaking with despair. I moved to her and held her close in a failed attempt to comfort her.

I felt the pain of losing a piece of my heart all over again. This was a pain that I knew all too well from the loss of my father. The fault lines on my heart, hidden under feeble layers of scar tissue began to emerge with every passing moment.

"Sue, are you okay?" It was a voice I didn't recognize and I looked up through blurry eyes. His foreign accent made him sound like Viggo Mortensen in the movie Eastern Promises.

He stood tall above us; his chin length hair fell forward as he leaned down to put an arm on my mother's shoulder. I felt a territorial instinct rise within me as his scent wafted towards me. It was unusual and definitely not the same human scent that I was use to. I let out a low growl and his eye flashed fire in my direction. He understood!

"Seth!" Sam shouted to snap me out of the stare down and I noticed that the man wore a paramedics uniform.

"Aleksei? Is my daughter going to be okay?" My mom asked hopefully.

"It will depend on if the doctor's could stabilize her breathing." He sounded sincere, but that was not the answer my mother was looking for. "I have to get back on the road, we just got another call." He looked up at the paramedic approaching us. My mom nodded in response and Sam helped her stand up.

I watched as the stranger rushed out the door with perfectly coordinated movements.

"Did anyone tell Jacob and Embry?" I heard Quill in the background.

"No, they were nowhere to be found." Billy answered.

It felt like we were sitting here for hours. The pale blue paint on the wall created a cold, sterile atmosphere and matched perfectly with the grey linoleum floors. I watched nurses and other hospital workers drag their feet across the bare hallways. I never realized how depressing it is to work in a place where everyone is sick or dying.

"Sophie is in recovery and doing well." The voice of Sophie's doctor broke my trans and I realized that I was the only one still sitting and not crowding around the newcomer. "She can receive visitors, two at a time. She may be disoriented when she wakes up and may have some memory loss, but we won't know for sure until the anesthesia wears off completely."

"What about Leah?" My mom asked.

"She's still in surgery; her injuries were much more severe." The doctor explained the situation in more detail, but I stopped paying attention. My focus was turned else were, to the two tall figures approaching us in all haste. I've never seen Embry look so pale, Jacob wore a matching expression and I recognized Embry's mom trailing 15 steps behind them.

"Embry, Jacob,… where have you been?" Billy asked.

"We went for a run… we were up to Prince George BC when we felt it, the energy blast. It almost knocked Embry off of a cliff." Jacob explained. Embry's mom went over to mine and gave her a sympathetic hug. Sam pulled Embry aside and was getting him up to speed on what happened.

"So, who's first?" the nurse interrupted and my hand shot up in the air like I was in grade school. She smiled and waved me over. "Anyone else?", Chogan stepped forward and we both followed her down the hall.

The head nurse pointed us in the direction of her room. I wanted to run but at the same time I was afraid of what I would find. I pushed open the door and surveyed the room. It was meant to hold two patients and I was hoping that Leah would be the one resting next to Sophie once she was out of surgery. I was able to hear the shallow breathing and weak heart beat behind the curtain separating the two beds. With one swift movement I pushed the curtain aside and my heart stopped at the vision before me.

A mix of emotion went through me and I quickly took Sophie fragile hand. A warmth traveled up my arm enveloping my heart and securely binding it to hers. I felt my pulse quicken as she became the center of my being and the light of my life. The warmth spread through my veins, infusing itself into every empty space and suddenly I felt whole.

I don't think I have ever been happier, I imprinted on Sophie! I didn't care how impossible that sounded but I knew that it was true. I've felt it before, through the thoughts of the rest of the pack when they thought about their imprints in wolf form. Back then these mushy feelings made me sick, but this time I reveled in the joy I felt.

My hand started to tingle. It felt like blood was rushing back into my palm after clenching my fist for too long. Suddenly I was feeling lightheaded and confused. I looked up at Sophie through now blurry eyes. It looked like the glow was returning to her skin and with one deep breath she opened her eyes but then everything went dark for me.

The sound of distant laughter brought me back to consciousness. I was laying in a hospital bed and Chogan was standing over me.

He laughed again and said, "Are you okay boy?"

"What happened?" I asked as I propped myself on to my elbows.

"Well, I definitely didn't think it was possible… but, I think you imprinted on Sophie." _Sophie_. That name was music to my ears and I immediately looked over at her, sitting and smiling in her bed. Her delicate face was all bruised and scraped up, but beautiful nevertheless. "HA! I knew it! You should see the look on your face Seth." He was excited about this new development.

"Are you okay?" Sophie asked and I nodded and sat up.

"Do you feel different?" Chogan asked.

"I think I imprinted…"

"You did, I can see it Seth." Just then I remembered that Sophie was able to see the imprint connections between Sam and Emily and the rest of the imprint couple. "It's brighter then I have every seen between anyone else." She smiled affectionately at me.

"I'll be right back I have to go tell the others", with that Chogan ran out of the room. I moved over to the side of Sophie's bed and sat on the edge.

"I told you, it would be okay, didn't I?"

"I thought I'd lost you for a moment and I never want to feel like that again." I gently ran my thumb over her cheek, ensuring not to put to much pressure. She lifted her hand to mine and squeezed it gently.

"Never again… I have a good feeling about this." She said as she leaned in to kiss me.

* * *

**I KNOW! Crazy right? New imprints are possible! **  
**But why? how? Who's next? Will Embry or Jake imprint on Leah? **  
**And who's this 'Aleksei' guy? Vamp or something else?... **

**SO MANY QUESTIONS :P**

**THE MORE REVIEWS I GET THE FASTER I WRITE! So do you part and review \(^_^)/**


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